


The Start of Something New

by Myoneloveismusic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Prostitution, buidling of trust, temporarily mute Keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2018-09-20 12:11:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 60,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9490469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: For as long as he could remember, Keith had been living and working in a sex house owned by the Galra. His life was cut off from the outside world and he hardly had any interaction with people outside of those who he was forced to have sex with or if he was punished by the operators of the house. That is, until a Paladin of Voltron named Shiro comes to his rescue and liberates the sex house, giving him a chance at a new life and possibly finding love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ofc I couldn't wait very long before I got writing this fic after I got the idea for it. I'm not sure if this will have monthly updates or not. We're going to have to see where my other fics take me, but I wanted to at least get the first chapter out and see what kind of response this scenario might have so please leave you thoughts in the comments below. 
> 
> Other than that, I hope that you're ready for another Sheith fic. :D
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith startled at the sound of a door banging down the hallway. He moved restlessly, upsetting the chains that had become draped over his arms. Briefly, he thought that it was another client that he was going to have to deal with, but after moving and feeling the dried come crack and crumble over his stomach, he knew that this was something different. His stomach sank as he heard feet pounding in the hallway beyond. This could only mean very bad things.

                If someone had upset the Galra he was most likely going to be punished. And he was never certain which punishment he was going to receive. Whoever had fucked up might have even gone too far and he was going to be taken by the Galra. Kept on some commander’s ship to be used at their leisure and handed around to all the soldiers on board. He shivered at the thought. At least here, the people in charge had some way of screening clients to ensure that he wasn’t going to be forced to endure anything too horrible. They wanted to keep their most pristine sex slave in perfect form after all.

                “Matt! Pidge! Get the rest of those prisoners out of here! I’ll check through these last rooms and then we can head out. Lance, do you have all of those organizers in shackles? Good.”

                Keith started at the voice. It was nearly outside his door. _Too close._ A loud banging on the door had him flinching back as the sound of metal on metal rang out.

                “Can you hear me? Is anyone in there?” the voice asked again.

                Keith shook his head, hoping to avoid the wraith of anyone that might be coming after him, or anyone who seemed to get in the way, for that matter. He heard a muffled curse before the door flew open and banged against the wall. He flinched and moved back, the sound of the rattling chains loud in the soundless space the door had left in its wake.

                “Are you okay?” the person-man-spoke again, voice far gentler than Keith would’ve thought possible.

                He looked up and watched in horror as the man began to advance into the room. He shook his head frantically and moved back along the wall as far as he could before his chains pulled taut and he was stuck. The man held up his hands in front of him and Keith ducked away, feeling the tears welling up behind his eyes and threatening to spill over. He didn’t want to be hurt like this. He would’ve given anything to have been able to fight back and escape.

                “Are you hurt?” He asked.

                Keith looked up and his eyes widened at how close the man had gotten. The tears began to run down his cheeks and he pulled frantically at the chains just wanting to get away. To escape.

                “I’m not going to hurt you. Calm down, please.”

                A sob tore from Keith’s chest. The amount of times that people had said that to him before… He renewed his struggles, biting back a whimper when one of the shackles bit into his wrist.

                “Please,” the man said, desperately. “Calm down. You’ll hurt yourself if you don’t stop.”

                Keith opened his mouth-to laugh bitterly or throw a harsh comment back at this man he didn’t know-but his breath caught in his throat when a warm hand curled over his wrists. He froze, waiting for the inevitable pain and punishment to come. His breath immediately sped up, unable to stop the whimper that came from his throat when the man’s hand began to glow. He shut his eyes, gritting his teeth against the inevitable and was confused when he heard the clang of metal on concrete.

                He opened his eyes and stared at his wrists-now shackle free-where they were hanging in mid-air. He looked up at the strange man that had broken into his room and was taken aback by the soft smile on his face.

                “My name is Shiro. I’m one of the paladins of Voltron. We’re liberating everyone from this sex house and shuttling them over to the Castle that Princess Allura of Altea is piloting. Please come with me.”

                Keith stared at Shiro and looked down at where his shackles were sitting on the floor. He ran shaky fingers over his wrists and a few of the marks that he’d gotten over the years. He clutched his wrists to his chest and looked up at Shiro who was still watching him closely. Taking a deep breath and knowing that there was nothing else for him here and nowhere else to go, he nodded. Shiro’s grin nearly split his face.

                “Great! Do you have anything that you can wear out? A robe or something?”

                Keith looked over at the small, hole-filled blanket that had been shoved aside the night before and pointed at it.

                Shiro nodded. “Okay. We’ll have to make do with that anyway. Can you stand?”

                Keith placed his hands on the floor in front of him and pushed himself up enough to get his legs underneath him before straightening up. His legs were a little shaky, but he figured he could at least make it to the shuttle that Shiro had mentioned.

                “I guess that answers my question,” he said, reaching for the blanket and draping it around Keith’s shoulders. Keith pulled away from the touch, not wanting to let it linger or show any form of weakness.

                Keith adjusted it so that he was suitably covered as they slowly made their way to the door, his legs proving to be far weaker than he’d originally thought.

                “What’s your name?” Shiro asked as they passed through the doorway.

                Keith pointed at the sign that had been hung next to the door, the letters just visible in the darkened corridor.

                “Keith? Your name is Keith?” he asked.

                Keith nodded and continued to make his way down the hallway. He felt himself getting stronger every step of the way and appreciated the fact that Shiro was kind enough to give him his own space as they made their through the sex house.

                The sound of voices got louder as they rounded the last corner to the front room of the building. Keith nearly froze when he saw all of the people who’d locked him up and punished him and forced sometimes drunken and not so drunken men on him. He nearly turned around to head back to his room, but a firm hand on his shoulder grabbed his attention.

                “It’s okay, Keith. They can’t hurt you. They can’t do anything to you anymore,” Shiro said calmly.

                He nodded and started forward, once again pulling away from Shiro’s touch so as not go get too close.  He didn’t get nearly as far as he would’ve liked before the men began to take notice of him. They growled, turning hate-filled eyes on Shiro and pulling at their restraints.

                “You can’t fucking take him.”

                “He’s the best one we’ve got!”

                “The only pretty one that can take a decent fucking.”

                Keith squeezed his eyes shut at the harsh words, his steps nearly faltering. Shiro reached out and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and helped him keep moving forward.

                “If you want him to be of any use, you’re going to have to lock him up.”

                “Pass him around to your crew so he knows whose bit-“ Whoever had been speaking choked suddenly. Keith turned and saw Shiro staring down at one of the Galra. His expression fierce and angry. His hand was wrapped tightly around the man’s throat. Keith hadn’t even noticed him move.

                “Don’t you _dare_ to ever talk about him like that again. Understood?” he asked, voice low and dangerous.

                The Galra nodded vigorously and sucked in deep lungful’s of air when he was released and dropped to the ground. Shiro gave him one last look, lip curling in disgust before he turned back to Keith, expression immediately softening. He crossed the gap between them quickly and turned Keith back towards the door.

                Keith left the sex house in a daze, surprised when he stepped out onto soft sand. He didn’t remember what life was like outside of the house, having been brought there too early in life. A surprising gust of wind whipped at the edges of the blanket and ruffled his hair. His gaze flitted everywhere, trying to take in every part of the landscape and make sense of what was around him.

                “Matt, can you take care of them. I’m going to get Keith here back to the Castle,” Shiro spoke up beside him.

                Keith looked down, startled to find another man standing there in a red suit. His eyes looked cold and hard, but he didn’t look at Keith with hatred. He seemed…indifferent.

                “Sure. The other prisoners should already have been taken care of. He’s the last one.”

                Shiro nodded and turned back to Keith as Matt headed inside. “I’m going to take you up to the Castle now, okay? We’re going to have fly there in my Lion over there,” he said, pointing to a large robot.

                Keith nodded hesitantly and followed Shiro in the direction of the Lion. He’d never flown before and didn’t know what to expect. Didn’t know what to expect from a giant robot either. As they approached, the Lion lowered its head and opened its jaw. Keith followed closely behind Shiro as they ascended the stairs inside and made their way to the control room, his uncertainty about the robot overruling his own adversity over being close to a stranger.

                Shiro took a seat in the pilot’s chair and placed his hands on the handles. “Hold on tight. It can be a little jarring riding along in a Lion the first time.”

                Keith nodded and gripped the back of Shiro’s seat tightly with one of his hands, using the other to keep the blanket wrapped securely around himself. He watched as Shiro pressed the handles forward, urging the Lion up and into a run. The running wasn’t so bad. It was when the Lion took off that Keith let go of the blanket in favor of clutching the back of Shiro’s seat.

                His eyes widened as they shot through the atmosphere, leaving the sandy, barren planet behind. In a matter of seconds they were through the atmosphere and Keith gasped at the sight. They were surrounded by stars. Every inch of blackness had at least one point of light breaking through it. And in the middle of it all was a giant white Castle orbiting the planet that they’d just come from. He never would’ve imagined that something so inherently beautiful could exist. That darkness could lose its frightening characteristics and morph into something else.

                A hurricane of emotion hit him. Everything that had seemed so unrealistic-being rescued, giant robotic lions, space and stars-had suddenly become his reality. Even if all of this was about to come to an end, for a few blessed moments, he’d been freed from the absolute hell that was his life. He’d tasted a small amount of freedom and had quickly become addicted. The need had begun burning through his veins like an all-consuming fire that had no hope of being put out.

                “Beautiful isn’t it?” Shiro asked. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to reach the stars.” He turned to face Keith and his face immediately fell. “Keith! Why are you crying?”

                Keith’s hand flew up to his cheek and sure enough, he felt the warm streams of tears as they trickled down his cheeks. He shook his head and smiled before looking back out at the stars.

                “I see. Let’s get you to the Castle. You’ll have plenty of time to settle down next to a window and look at the stars all you like.”

                Keith stepped off the Lion hesitantly, keeping the blanket clutched tightly around himself. Shiro was nodding at him encouragingly and smiling so sweetly that he wanted nothing more than to return the gesture, but he knew that he couldn’t. He even reached out a hand to help him down the last bit of the platform letting his fingers linger on his palm after he’d gotten down safely.

                “We should get to the medical bay to make sure that you don’t have any injuries that need to be treated. The other occupants of the house should already be there and a few of the other Paladins as well,” Shiro explained as they wound their way through a maze of hallways. “You’ll be able to meet Allura and Coran. Both of them are really nice and will make sure that you’re comfortable while you’re here on the ship.”

                They turned through a doorway and Keith looked around at the wide room that they’d come to. He saw residents of the house sitting in so many different places and in various stages of treatment. A woman with silver hair was helping an elderly woman from one of the pods while a man with an orange mustache was talking animatedly to a young man holding a mug between his hands.

                “Shiro!” Allura greeted when she spied him from where she was standing. She hurried over and looked over Keith quickly. He ducked his head, feeling a bit self-conscious at the inspection. “Is he the last one then?”

                “Yeah. Matt and Pidge should be taking care of the Galra that are still on the planet right now. Where are Hunk and Lance?”

                “They went back to see if Matt and Pidge needed any help and should be back shortly now that all of the prisoners are here. Speaking of which, we need to get him into a healing pod.”

                “Right. Allura, this is Keith. Keith, Allura,” Shiro introduced.

                “Lovely to meet you,” she said. “We have a few more medical suits in the changing room if you’d like to put one of those on. Then we can get you into a pod and have you examined and treated for any injuries. Almost everyone has been fine, but we’d like to take any precautions to ensure that you’re treated well and are healthy.”

                Keith nodded and walked over to the changing room. He shut the curtain behind him and finally let the dirty blanket fall to the ground. He was slightly startled to find a floor-length mirror in the room and was even more startled at being able to study his appearance for once. His skin looked pasty and pale. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was greasy and stringy. He ran his hands over his too-thin torso and noticed the considerable lack of muscle and development that he should’ve had if he’d been given a sufficient diet.

                He ran his fingers over the circles around his wrists, gently brushing over the new cuts. Here, he could easily tell that he wasn’t anywhere close to the ideal sex symbol, but could pass well enough in a dimly lit room in a sex house. Plus, most of the men were drunk out of their minds and didn’t really care what he or anyone else looked like. They just wanted something warm to fuck and help themselves feel powerful.

                Shivering, he turned away from the mirror quickly and spotted the pile of medical jumpsuits. He held each one up to his body and did his best to guess the fit, ultimately settling on the smallest one that still managed to leave an obvious amount of fabric hanging away from his stomach and arms. He almost looked like he was trying to wear someone else’s clothes that were two sizes too big.

                Turning away from the mirror a second time, Keith pushed the curtain aside and walked back out into the main room. Allura and Shiro were still talking, but turned to him as he approached, both of them smiling at him.

                “Glad to see that you found something to wear,” Allura said, beckoning him to follow. “We already have a pod ready and waiting for you. Now, let me just explain the process a little bit. Since we’re doing a scan of your body for any injuries and illnesses, you’ll be awake during the entire procedure. If the scan does detect something, we can talk it over after it’s finished and then move to treatment if it’s needed. The whole scan shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Are you going to be alright being in an enclosed space?”

                Keith looked over the pod and nodded. It seemed like he would have plenty of room to stand comfortably inside.

                “Wonderful. Go ahead and step inside and we can get started on the scan.”

                He did as instructed and watched as the top came down over him. Even with the top closed, there was still a good amount of room inside. He waited, thinking that there would be some obvious sign that the scan would start, but was surprised when nothing happened and that the top opened after a few minutes. He stepped out and faced Allura.

                “The scan detected no serious injuries and briefly highlighted the cuts on your wrists. We’ll get those bandaged and they should be healed in a couple of days. One thing that was highlighted is that you seem to be undernourished. Although it may seem serious, we can have you in decent shape after a few days of nice, healthy meals and put you on the path to perfect health. Once you get finished up here, you’re more than welcome to join us in the dining room for something to eat. Shiro?”

                Keith turned to find Shiro approaching them with a roll of bandages in his hands.

                “I’ll leave you to it,” Allura said, making her way to the last remaining groups and ushered them out of the medical bay.

                “Let’s take a seat and I can get your wrists disinfected and wrapped. You’re more than welcome to keep the jumpsuit as we don’t have any clothes to give you right now.”

                The two of them sat cross-legged on the floor and Shiro held out his hand expectantly. Keith hesitantly presented his hand and watched as Shiro gently pushed back his sleeve to gain access to his wrist. He gently pat a wet cloth over the raw skin, forcing a low hiss from between his teeth at the sting.

                “Sorry about that,” Shiro murmured, taking the roll of bandages in hand and wrapping them securely, but not tightly around. He taped the bandages and repeated the same actions on Keith’s other wrist. Once he was finished, he let his hands fall away.

                “How about some dinner then?” Shiro asked, setting the supplies aside. “Are you hungry?”

                Keith nodded and took the hand Shiro offered to him, letting himself be pulled to his feet.

                “Let’s go.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I would get around to this chapter so soon, but I'm loving working with this AU and I had some trouble working on an update for one of my other fics. I hope that you're ready for some more from me, because I'm excited to share it. ^.^
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith fidgeted slightly in his seat in the dining room. The other liberated prisoners had no qualms with taking advantage of the large buffet of food that had been placed before them and Shiro had even gone so far as to give him a generous helping of the different types of goo that had been prepared. The sight of so much food and the scrutiny with which Shiro and Allura were watching them had Keith’s stomach twisting into knots. He was worried that as soon as he took a bite, the food would be pulled away and he would be hit for thinking that he could ever have the benefit of something so tasty. That he could ever be worthy of such a gracious meal.

                “Are you feeling okay, Keith?” He looked up to find Shiro watching him with a small frown. “You’ve hardly touched your food.”

                Keith felt panic welling up inside of him. Shiro was unhappy. That could only mean bad things. He needed to fix this. Now. He shook his head frantically and reached for the spoon next to his plate, quickly scooping up a large portion and stuffing it into his mouth. He ignored the flavor, choosing instead to chew quickly and swallow to keep things from getting any worse. He looked over to find Shiro smiling at him. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He’d kept things from getting bad. Crisis averted.

                “Yeah. The first time I ate food goo I was a little hesitant at first, too. I didn’t know what to make of it honestly, but it’s not too bad once you get used to the texture,” he said, chuckling.

                Keith nodded, feeling the goo settling heavily in his stomach. It felt like a lead weight. A reminder that he wouldn’t be safe. There was always someone out there who he had to be careful of to ensure that he didn’t anger them and get hurt. He slowly went about eating his food, sending discreet glances around the rest of the table to make sure that everyone was satisfied and happy. The other Paladins had joined them several minutes ago, all looking weary after the long day and happy to sit down and eat.

                They’d easily fallen into conversation with the new members of the group who were slowly coming out of their shells, feeling comfortable enough in the current environment to speak and learn. Keith reached up and rubbed at his throat nervously. It’s not that he couldn’t speak, it’s just…what if he said the wrong thing? It had been years since he’d spoken to any of the people running the sex house or the Galra. The clients didn’t come to hear him talk. That’s not what they paid for.

                The noises seemed to suddenly swell in the room. The chatter filled every available space. The clink of silverware and dishes grated on his ears, making it almost impossible to think. He felt his heart beating impossibly fast and knew that his breath was probably coming too fast as well. He clenched his teeth, his eyes darting around himself before he squeezed them shut. The Castle was too bright. The light reflected off every surface. His stomach rolled unhappily and he dropped his spoon, covering his ears with his hands instead, hoping to block out some of the noises.

                “Keith?” Shiro asked, his voice just barely breaking through the torrent of sound that assaulted him. He sounded worried. Worried meant unhappy and unhappy was never good. Keith’s stomach was rolling again and it was only a minute before he was pushing his chair back and sprinting from the room.

                As they’d walked through the halls, Shiro had pointed out the bathroom to him which was thankfully close to the dining room. He slammed the door open and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet just as the first dredges of goo emptied themselves from his stomach. He heaved and coughed, trying to spit each remnant of vomit from his mouth. It seemed forever before his stomach had emptied itself, too long for the little amount of food that was inside, and his body was left clenching painfully around dry heaves.

                When everything finally settled, he let himself slump down on the floor beside the toilet. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself and stared blankly at the wall in front of his face. He felt cold, almost numb, but the fear and anxiousness was momentarily gone.

                “Keith?” Shiro’s gentle voice called from the open door and he tensed. He pushed himself into a sitting position and stared unblinking at him. “Are you okay? Are you sick?”

                Keith wrapped his arms tightly around himself, hoping to keep himself from breaking or falling apart even more. His self-comfort only caused him to start shaking. The tears came quickly after that and soft sobs wracked his body. Shiro looked stricken at the change in demeanor and rushed over to him. Keith pulled away from his touches, leaving Shiro’s hands to hover uncertainly around him.

                “What’s upset you, Keith? What can I do to help? What do you need to make it better?”

                Keith’s brow furrowed over the words, searching for some note of deception of contradiction that he should be wary of. No one had ever shown such concern for him before. The distraction helped to calm his sobs and the tears slowly stopped, turning into weak sniffles instead.

                “Is this whole situation making you nervous?” Shiro asked, sitting back on his heels now that Keith was calming down.

                Keith bit his lip and nodded, glancing up at Shiro through his eyelashes.

                “I’m not mad. None of us are mad about that. Honestly, we were stupid and naïve to think that you would be able to so easily fall into life here after being locked up for so long. I’m sure that had more of an impact on you than we know. Hell, I should’ve known that it wouldn’t be that easy.” He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Keith watched as he moved to grip his right arm and wondered what was hiding underneath the paladin suit.

                “Okay,” he said, opening his eyes. “Okay,” he said again, almost as though he was reassuring himself. "Would it help you adjust if we set up some ground rules or expectations so you don’t have to worry about any unexpected reactions or problems?”

                Keith stared at him. The idea hadn’t even occurred to him and it sounded like heaven. Having less things to question and to know where he stood with everyone. He nodded slowly, waiting to see what Shiro would say next.

                “Great! Uh-okay-um, Keith? Can you…talk?” he asked, puzzled.

                He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it and placed his fingertips over his lips, looking up at Shiro shyly.

                “I’m going to take that as a maybe. We can get you something to write with and make this a bit easier on ourselves,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “Me trying to guess everything about you isn’t going to prove to be the most successful system. Especially concerning things that you’d like to keep private.”

                Keith slowly got to his feet and kept his arms wrapped tightly around himself, bunching the extra fabric of the medical suit in his hands. He kept some distance between the two of them as they walked through the hallways and let himself study Shiro a bit more closely for once without the threat of scrutiny from him.

                He looked strong and powerful, but his presence didn’t feel threatening. It amazed Keith how muscular and tall he was. If he wanted he could probably dwarf Keith with his size. He shivered and mentally berated himself for thinking like that. He didn’t need to be thinking like that. He belatedly realized that they were heading back to the dining room that he’d just run out of.

                “Princess Allura, do you have a pen and paper or something to write with?” Shiro asked, poking his head into the room.

                Her response was muffled. “We don’t really keep those materials on board, but you can go to the communications room and type on the screen there.”

                “That’s perfect, thanks!” Shiro stepped back and grinned at him. “Typing will probably be faster anyway.”

                As they continued down the hallway, Keith felt his panic rising again. Typing? Screen? He didn’t know how to use either of things. Do either of those things? His writing was rough enough as it was since he never really had a lot of time to practice. Or a reason to. He wrung his hands together and glanced to the side, hoping for some way to extricate himself from this situation.

                Shiro turned and opened his mouth to say something, but froze when he caught sight of Keith’s tense posture and desperate expression. “Keith, is everything alright?”

                He looked down at the floor and scratched his cheek, glancing up at Shiro before looking away quickly.

                “Okay, well this is the communications room,” he said directing Keith through the doorway and into one of the many available seats. He pulled over an additional chair and began to fiddle with the board in front of them, hitting several different square blocks and touching different areas of the screen in front of them. Keith’s eyes flitted between both areas, trying to discern some sort of pattern or clue as to how the thing works.

                “Great! Now that this is set-up we can get to work,” Shiro said, leaning back in his chair.

                Keith stared down at the board in front of him and bit his lip. The different parts to the board looked familiar. Like letters. The question was how he was supposed to get the letters from the board onto the screen in order to form words so that he could communicate.

                “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”

                Keith started and looked over at Shiro who was watching him, fist propped against his cheek.

                “You’ve never used a computer before, have you?”

                He shook his head.

                “Okay, let’s see if we can give you a crash course. Each of these squares is a letter. And to form words on the screen, you just need to tap the letter once and it’ll show up. And if you hit the letters in the corresponding order, you’ll have a word pop up on the screen, like that. See?” Shiro asked, demonstrating quickly.

                Keith looked between the board and the screen, thinking that he understood it for the most part. His literacy skills were still slow, but he thought that he grasped the concept at least. He reached out and hit three letters, pausing as he searched the board for the location of the different squares.

 

_Yes_

                Shiro grinned. “Perfect! Let’s get started on these ground rules then. Umm…you get nervous around all of us a lot, right?”

                Keith nodded.

                “Why?”

                He stared at the letters, wondering how to put his thoughts into words. He knew that he was afraid of being hurt and punished for doing something wrong.

 

_Afraid_

“Afraid? What are you afraid of?”

 

_Pune punise_

Keith huffed and furrowed his brow.

 

_Pain_

                “Pain? Was that first word you were trying to spell, punishment?” Shiro asked. Keith nodded. “Okay. None of us are going to hurt you, okay? And I know that might not be the most reassuring thing to hear, but we won’t hit you or punish you. You aren’t being held here against your will either. If we ever get to a planet or touchdown somewhere that you like, you’re more than welcome to leave the Castle. So, how about if we set one of our rules to be that none of us ever intentionally raise our voices. That way we can keep your environment calm and if we’re upset we can talk about it and work things out instead of getting emotional. Are you okay with that?”

                Keith nodded again.

                “And you know what else, if you’re feeling nervous or anxious about something, you can always come to me for support. I promise that I won’t ever turn you away even if you think that it’s something small. I’ll be here to support you as you heal and move on, okay? What else?”

                Keith thought over everything that he experienced. He never had anything that was his own. Anything that was remotely nice was taken away from him. He didn’t get much food either, often forced to go hungry because the Galra were more concerned with feeding themselves than keeping the sex slaves alive. He slowly moved his index finger across the letters.

 

_Food_

                “Food, huh? Yeah, I guess they wouldn’t give you much to eat in that house. Well, I can promise you that you’ll always be willingly fed on this ship. Allura would have my head if she even thought that you might be depriving yourself of seconds much less going hungry. And even if it isn’t a designated meal time, you’re more than welcome to use the kitchen. Hunk spends a lot of time there and he’d be more than happy to have a guinea pig for any new dishes or creations he’s trying out. Anything else?”

                Keith reached out his hand, but hesitated, pulling it back to his chest. He looked down and shook his head.

                “No, there’s something. What is it? You can tell me,” Shiro prodded.

                He reached out and typed the only word that he knew how to spell that could convey what he meant.

               

_Things_

“Things?” Shiro questioned, obviously searching for some meaning. “Like, possessions? Things you own?” he questioned.

                Keith felt his face heat up and nodded, letting his gaze fall to his lap.

                “You weren’t able to keep much in that room.”

                Keith shook his head, feeling himself becoming more embarrassed as Shiro put the pieces together.

                “Well, anything that you get will never be taken away from you. Anything that you give will be given consensually. Whether it’s something much bigger or more important, or something small like clothes or a book. We won’t force you to give up anything. What’s yours is yours.”

                Keith blinked at him for a few moments, letting the words sink in.

                “Do you have anything else you’re worried about?”

                He shook his head.

                “Okay. I can pass these on to the other Paladins. Do you want to try eating something again now that you’ve calmed down a bit? The dining area’s probably empty by now.” Shiro mused.

                Keith nodded and pushed his chair back, following him from the room and back through the hallways. The dining area was indeed empty when they returned and there was a bowl left on the table.

                “I’ll leave you to eat. Feel free to roam the Castle as much as you like when you’re done. You’ll run into Coran, Allura, or one of the Paladins eventually if you need anything and they can get you set up in a room, too. I’m going to head to one of the training rooms. If you need me, someone can point you in that direction and they’re located near the storage bays that we first came from if you find yourself over that way.”

                Keith watched as Shiro made his exit and was a little relieved that he wouldn’t be scrutinized while he ate. It was bad enough the first time and he didn’t really feel like throwing up again. He reveled in the silence that surrounded him. It was rare that things ever got this quiet in the house. There was always at least one client being taken care of and the walls weren’t that thick. The clients never failed to be loud either, almost wanting to make their pleasure known.

                The food was delicious and he felt a lot better after getting something in his stomach. He looked around himself and was surprised by how empty the space was. So much space. He pushed his chair back and headed for the door, making his way through the hallway beyond. The halls were just as large, almost frighteningly so. The Castle was gigantic and he wondered how anyone could stand to live with so much space. He hoped that he was going in the right direction of something. It would help if he knew what he was actually looking for.

                Keith turned the corner and glanced to the side, immediately freezing in his tracks. Much like everything else, the windows were just as big. And the images beyond just as breathtaking as they’d first been. There was so much space and so many stars. This amount of space was less frightening. It wasn’t confined. It was open. Welcome to possibilities. It meant that he could move on with his life and do something. Become something.

                He never let himself dream while he was locked away, thinking that there was no future to even consider. He didn’t know of anything that he would do if he did manage to escape or what kind of job he could ever hope of acquiring. But this... This made everything seem possible. Made him yearn to wish and think and plan and hope for something better. Because he just might have a chance of achieving it now.

                He wasn’t sure how long he stood there watching the stars and the endless amount of space, but soft footfalls eventually caught his attention and he turned to find Shiro approaching him. He’d changed, no longer wearing his armor and was instead in tight black pants and a sleeveless shirt. Keith was surprised to find that his right arm was half-metal. He never would’ve guessed that Shiro had lost part of his arm. It made him wonder what happened. With how strong of a fighter he seemed to hold himself as, it must’ve been a very dangerous situation. Or a particularly difficult opponent.

                “There you are,” he said, smiling. “I see you found something you like and a place to go. It’s getting pretty late and you must be tired after the long day that you’ve had. We’re getting everyone settled into rooms and I can take you to yours if you’re ready.”

                Keith nodded and followed Shiro through the ever more complex passageways. He didn’t know how he was going to find his way back, but he’d try and manage somehow. It might take him getting lost at least once before he finally understood the entire layout of the Castle. Shiro pressed a button on the wall and stepped aside as a door slid open.

                “This is your room, number 23. We don’t have any nightclothes so I hope that you’ll be okay in the medical suit at least for the moment. We’re going to try and get some clothes for everyone as soon as possible. For now, feel free to sleep as long as you like and the rest of the Castle is yours to explore if you’d rather do that. If you need to find me, my room has a black Voltron symbol on the door and is back down the hallway.”

                Keith nodded and stepped into the room, pressing a similar button on the inside of the door to have it shut. He looked around and gaped. He had a bed. And a sink with a mirror. He had a bathroom with an actual shower. He reached out a hand and placed it against the mattress. The blanket was thick, but didn’t mask the softness that was underneath. He shut off the lights and climbed in bed quickly, feeling his body melt in absolute ecstasy. Things might not turn out to be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly adore the intense feelings coming with this chapter! I hope that you're looking forward to reading. Sorry, it took a while for this update to come, I had two fics that were a chapter away from being done and wanted to get those done ASAP. But here we are again! 
> 
> I also got a twitter if you're interested (I basically just ramble about writing and fic updates): https://twitter.com/m_o_l_i_m
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Shiro watched as the door shut, cutting off the view that he had of Keith. He sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He wanted so much to help him and make things better, but he knew that just being removed from the environment that he’d been in and had probably been raised in wasn’t going to help him heal right away as much as Shiro wanted that to happen. He thought that the ground rules would help them make progress at least and he needed to let everyone else know about them.

                He turned away from Keith’s door and the rest of the guest rooms and slowly made his way back through the halls towards the dining area. It had already been a long enough day and he was utterly exhausted, but the sooner he conversed with his friends about their situation, the better they would all be for it. Hell, they had no idea where they were even going now that they’d left the planet and had a castle full of liberated slaves.

                Shiro walked into the dining area and was pleased that everyone else was already waiting for him. He took his seat at the table and looked around at everyone. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all wore tired smiles on their faces; Allura and Coran nodded at him, looking slightly more awake than everyone else; and Matt had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the back of his chair. He’d give anything to see his friend smile as easily as he used to, but a lot of things had happened to them and the Galra had been anything but kind during their time in and out of captivity.

                “We’re so glad you finally made it, Shiro. Now, what would you like to talk to us about?” Allura asked.

                “It’s about the people we rescued today…Keith in particular, actually,” Shiro began. He sighed and leaned his head back. “He seems to be a bit more traumatized or at least negatively affected by our presence than the rest of the people we brought on board. I thought it might be a good idea if we could set up some ground rules for him so he has some sense of comfort and stability. And I’d really appreciate it if all of you could embrace these to help him recover from what’s happened to him.”

                “You’re really invested in this guy, huh?” Pidge asked, her exhaustion doing nothing to diminish her natural curiosity.

                “I just want to make sure that his transition is as easy as possible.”

                “Are you sure it’s not more than that?” Lance asked, eyebrow raised.

                “I’m sure.” His eyes flicked to Matt. “I think I have a pretty good idea of how hard readjusting can be.”

                Lance sobered at that statement and nodded. “Okay. So what’s the deal then? How can we help?”

                “Well, first, we should all try and avoid raising our voices around him and never raise our voices at him. Even if we’re not angry at him, he might interpret it that way and immediately shut down when that’s the last thing that we want.” He looked around and everyone nodded in agreement. “Second, he’s always welcome to food. This one isn’t so much on us as it is on him, but we can avoid making him feel like he can’t eat everything that he actually needs and I told him that he’s always welcome in the kitchen. Especially with you, Hunk.”

                Hunk nodded seriously. “I’ll make him anything that he needs to eat. He looks pretty skinny so we definitely need to get him on a healthy diet and I think I might have just the thing to help.”

                Shiro smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Hunk, you’re the best.”

                Hunk waved away his comment, embarrassed.

                “The last thing that we established was that nothing that belongs to him will ever be taken away and anything he has to give will only be done in a consensual manner. I respect you all enough to expect that this will be the one that you’ll have the least problem with.” He looked around the table and took in the grim look and determined expressions that everyone wore, immediately understanding the full aspect of what Shiro was telling them.

                “I have a question,” Lance said, gathering everyone’s attention. “Does he know how to speak? Or does he just not understand our language?”

                Shiro shrugged. “I don’t know if he can speak or not. I suspect that he can, but that he might just be afraid to. I know that he understands our language since he knew what I was saying and was able to type in it, despite his difficulties with technology.”

                “So he’s obviously smart,” Pidge interjected, “and will be a quick learner with whatever we choose to show him. That’s something positive at least. He’ll be able to catch up rather quickly and gain the skills that he’ll need in order to navigate through the rest of his life. I’m sure he’ll have no problem finding a job and setting things up for himself once he’s had enough time to recover. Maybe if we give him space and make him comfortable, he’ll be comfortable conversing with us soon, too.”

                Shiro nodded. “I think that’s also a good way to bring us to our next point of conversation. What are we going to do with everyone we now have on board? We can’t exactly bring them on missions with us. It’s too dangerous for them, but we can’t neglect our duty to the rest of the universe by keeping them with us for too long.”

                “I’ve already located a planet in a nearby system that should be able to aid us.” Everyone turned to look at Matt where he was sitting in his seat. “From the limited information that I was able to gather on the database, they should have sufficient counseling and hospitalization services to treat any remaining trauma the passengers have. And if the planet is still developing like it was when the last reports were taken, there should be plenty of job opportunities as well.”

                “That’s great, Matt. Thanks.”

                “If you come with me and give me the coordinates, we can either get pointed to our new location or wormhole within orbiting distance of the planet,” Allura said, pushing her chair back. “I think that everything said so far is going to prove to be more than helpful when it comes to our new passengers. For now, I think it would be best if all of you go and get some rest after what an eventful day we’ve had. As the defenders of the universe, it’s pertinent that you remain well-rested even if we aren’t actively seeking out potential threats.”

                Everyone nodded and watched as Allura and Coran turned to leave the room, Matt following behind them, hands stuffed into his pockets. Shiro turned back to his friends and found them all watching him.

                “What?” he asked, warily.

                “Are you sure that your interest in Keith isn’t merely based around your concern for his well-being?” Lance asked. “Because it really wouldn’t be a problem if it was. We’ve all known each other long enough that something as simple as that wouldn’t be a problem for the rest of us, plus it’s no secret that I’m bisexual…” he trailed off awkwardly and shifted in his seat.

                “You did seem to be far more concerned about Keith than the rest of the people that we rescued today,” Hunk offered slowly.

                “I know. I don’t know…just seeing him there…chained to the wall and trapped in a room by himself…” Shiro just shook his head. “It probably just impacted me more than I’d like to think about. How I found him wasn’t too far from what I experienced at the hands of the Galra. Any interaction that Keith probably got wouldn’t have been pleasant. And I’m not sure which is worse…the punishment that he no doubt was faced with or the countless visitors that he got who easily forced themselves on him.”

                “Your interest and kindness is going to help him, Shiro,” Pidge said. “It’s obvious that he’s already more attached to you than anyone else in the Castle and I’m sure that his trust in you is only going to grow from there. I know the rest of us are going to do the best that we can, but you seem to already be making a great start with easing him back into personal interaction. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said, pushing back her chair, “I’m going to my lab.”

                “At this hour? You should really get some rest first,” Lance said, disbelief thick in his tone.

                “I know, and normally I would, but I want to get started on something for Keith. I’ve already got a couple of ideas and want to at least write them down so I don’t forget.”

                “Something for Keith? What is it?” Shiro asked.

                “Well, since he’s not quite comfortable talking to us yet, I figure that I could make him a personalized tablet to type on so that he can communicate faster and isn’t restricted to the communications room.”

                Shiro smiled gratefully. “You’re the best, Pidge.”

                She shrugged. “I know. And you’re more than welcome to tell me that as many times as you like.”

                As she headed from the room, Lance and Hunk stood from their seats as well. “Pidge might be able to get away with a power nap and still mostly function, but I need my beauty sleep. Later Shiro.”

                Shiro closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of his chair as the last of his friends left him alone. He really needed to get some sleep himself. The day had exhausted him and if he was being honest, he probably didn’t need that extra hour in the training room, but he didn’t know what to do with himself otherwise. He couldn’t exactly stay with Keith in case that made him uncomfortable while he was eating his dinner and Shiro didn’t want to cause him to throw up again. He needed to gather as much strength as possible and put on some weight after what was probably years of being underfed and undernourished.

                He sighed and pushed his chair back. He ran a hand through his hair tiredly as he trudged back through the halls towards his room. It was quiet and he was more than ready to fall into bed after a quick shower.

                “Shiro.”

                He turned at the sound of his name and found Matt leaning up against the wall, watching him. “Matt? I thought you were giving the coordinates to Allura to take us to that planet that you were talking about?”

                He pushed himself off the wall and stepped up next to him. “I did. It didn’t take very long and she’s going to wormhole us to the planet tomorrow morning after we’ve all gotten some rest. She doesn’t think that there’s any threat to worry about, but she wants us all refreshed and in top form just in case something we didn’t expect shows up. The databases have been found to be pretty reliable as we’ve gotten updates over the past few months, but there’s still room for error or situations that we haven’t been prepared for.”

                Shiro nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. You headed back to your room?”

                Matt nodded. “I wanted to talk to you for a bit though.”

                “Okay.” They walked side by side down the hallway. Shiro knew by now that Matt would speak when he felt comfortable and had his thoughts in order. His words didn’t come as easily as they used to.

                “You really care about, Keith.” It wasn’t a question.

                “Yeah. Look, Matt-“

                “No, Shiro. I’m glad that you found him. I can see that he’s going to play a big part in your happiness. Or he will at least for the moment. I know that I’m not as open as I used to be because of our time with the Galra and having to learn how to fight in the ring before we were able to escape…those were tough times and Pidge and I are still looking for Dad.” Matt huffed, obviously frustrated. “What I’m trying to say is…even though we’ve both changed and suffered…I still consider us to be friends. And I’m glad that you’re trying to find happiness. I know that I come off as brash and rude sometimes, but I promise that I’m going to do my best to make Keith feel welcome.”

                “Thanks Matt…that…means a lot,” Shiro said, chest tight. “And I’m sorr-“

                “ _No._ ” Shiro was surprised at Matt’s harsh tone. “Don’t you dare apologize to me, Shiro. There is nothing for you to be sorry for. You didn’t force me to go on the Kerberos mission. I wanted to be there. There was nothing any of us could’ve done to have known the Galra would’ve come after us and captured us. What matters is that we escaped and continued to move forward. Did it affect us? Yes. There’s no denying that. I _know_ that I’m not who I used to be.

                “Pidge has even had to learn that and I felt horrible when we were first reunited because I was afraid that I wasn’t the brother she wanted anymore. But she still cares for me. I’m still Matt Holt. I’m just a different Matt Holt from the one I used to be, just like the old Matt was different from the Matt who I was as a kid. Changing is a part of life and I’ve come to accept that and am working to move forward even with our work as the Paladins of Voltron and the missions that we set for ourselves. So, I don’t want to ever bear witness to you feeling guilt over what happened with the Galra.

                “Learn to let go, Shiro. I know that it’s not all going to go away. There’s still going to be the nightmares and the memories of the pain that we experienced. That will stay and linger, just as Keith’s pain will stay and linger and he’ll no doubt have memories from the years he spent locked in a room and left at the hands of abusers and rapists. But…I can see already that you’ve found a new kind of happiness in him. A new kind of hope. And I want you to go for it. Whatever that might be right now or whatever that might develop into…I want you to be there for him. Because he needs someone and you need someone, too.”

                Shiro stared at his friend as they came to a stop in front of his door. His eyes were wide and he was fairly certain that his mouth was hanging open. “Matt…”

                Matt stepped away to continue down the hallway to his own room. “He needs someone Shiro and as much as you are probably going to think that you don’t deserve him or some other bullshit…he needs you. And I think that you’re the right person to bring him comfort and help him move on with life. He’s a fighter, I can tell. And he’s unbelievably strong, but…even the strongest of us need help at times to stand back up. I’ll see you tomorrow, Shiro. Get some rest, we all need it.”

                Shiro watched him walk away, unable to enter his room until he’d lost sight of Matt. He leaned heavily against his door when it slid shut behind him. Matt’s words rung loudly inside of his head. He didn’t even know how to start going about sifting through them and understanding just what he was saying. It was so much and it was unnerving. Matt always had that quality to him. He seemed to know exactly what to say in order to get to the core of what he was thinking or worrying about.

                He pushed himself from the door and walked over to his personal shower. He needed to get cleaned up and maybe the warm water would help him think things over. Shiro turned on the spray and left it to warm up as he stripped out of his clothes from earlier, leaving them in a pile on the floor. He sighed as he stepped under the warm water and let it run over his back as he leaned his forehead against the wall and shut his eyes to think.

                There was no way that Keith needed him. Not to say that he didn’t need anybody, but why would he need him specifically? There were so many people better suited to help Keith and he doubted that he was one of them. It was true that he liked Keith. He was interesting and even though he’d been afraid and fearful when he’d first met him, there was still a fire within him. Shiro could tell that it was still there, no matter how hard people had worked to try and put it out, and he was no doubt they had. And had tried to keep him from realizing his full potential so that they could use him for their own means.

                And then there was what everyone had tried insisting when they’d met earlier when Lance brought up the possibility that he was romantically interested. Shiro didn’t even know what romantic interest felt like. There’d always been something in his life that had demanded his attention and taken it away from personal relationships. First, it had been him training in the Garrison and wanting to get to space. Then, it was being captured by the Galra and having to fight tooth and nail to survive with Matt. After they escaped, things had just become a whirlwind of fighting and trying to defeat the Galra that he hadn’t had time to really get to know anybody enough to even consider a relationship.

                And now there was Keith. Someone completely new. An enigma that he couldn’t simply explain away or excuse. And he was interested in him. He just wasn’t sure why yet or how to go about identifying what any of this meant. At least he had his friends’ approval for whatever they thought he wanted.

                He huffed out a fond laugh and reached for the soap, finally beginning to wash himself even as the water lost just a bit of its heat, thankful that he had such good friends around him regardless of how he chose to move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are loved and appreciated!!
> 
> Find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for this chapter. I think it's a good one. When I got done writing the first draft, I thought the tone might've been a bit off, but I actually liked how everything played out when I was going through edits. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the update!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith woke with a gasp, unsure at first where he was and why he was waking up in a strange place. He’d been dreaming about his time in the sex house and things had taken a nasty turn which was why he’d been pulled from sleep so harshly. Slowly, as his heartrate began to settle and he took in his surroundings, he remembered where he was and what he was doing there.

He was safe. For the moment at least. He had clothes and a bed and food. He wasn’t being used. He wasn’t chained up and he wasn’t enslaved. Repeating the thoughts helped. He wasn’t rudely awakened by a new customer and grasped the blankets that were bunched around him to ground himself, still amazed that he got to sleep with those the night before. He reluctantly pulled himself from bed and walked into the bathroom. He needed a shower and was more than a little excited that he wouldn’t have to try and wash himself from a bucket.

The bathroom was sleek and shiny, well-kept and clean. He cocked his head as he stuck his head into the shower stall, being met with two knobs and something that would hang over his head. He stripped out of the medical suit that he’d been put in the day before and stepped into the shower stall, pulling the door shut behind him. He reached for the knobs and twisted the one on the right experimentally.

Freezing cold water crashed down on his head and he spluttered, stepping backwards to try and get away from the spray. He wiped the hair out of his face and shivered, now noticing the small blue line that was on the knob he’d turned. The one on the left had a red line and he turned that one, pleased when the water warmed to a mild temperature. He smiled, happy that he was able to figure something new out himself.

Keith washed himself slowly, enjoying the feeling of the warm water and the soap on his skin. It was nice to wash away the dirt that had accumulated and it left him feeling far cleaner than he probably ever had been in his entire life. Even when he was allowed to wash particularly well because someone important was coming to the house, he never felt as good as he did now. He was reluctant to leave the warm water behind, but his growling stomach drove him from the safety and peace of the bathroom and back out into the large halls of the Castle.

He wasn’t sure if anyone else was up yet and didn’t encounter anyone as he worked to retrace his steps to the places that he’d visited the night before. Eventually, the sound of voices drew his attention and led him back to the dining hall where a few people were eating breakfast. The other liberated prisoners looked happy and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the rest they’d gotten and the warm food or something else entirely.

Keith was relieved to find that Shiro was at the table. It would give him one familiar face among the several others who were already deep in conversations between them. He walked over to the table slowly, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible and tapped Shiro on the shoulder to get his attention. He looked up from his food and immediately smiled.

“Keith! Just in time. Take a seat and have some breakfast,” he said, already reaching for a plate to fill with food.

Keith pulled out the chair next to Shiro and sat down, eyes going wide when a plate stacked high with goo was placed in front of him. He looked up at Shiro, a little shocked.

“Oh,” he said, taking in Keith’s alarm. “Don’t feel like you have to eat all of that. I wasn’t sure how hungry you were. And to be honest, I’m more used to knowing how much I could eat so that’s my fault.”

Keith nodded and picked up a spoon, poking at the goo before taking a small bite. Despite being surrounded by so many people and the amount of chatter that was happening around him, his appetite only diminished slightly and he didn’t find himself becoming too anxious, surprised at himself for how different his reaction was to the day before. He also appreciated that Shiro didn’t try to talk to him while he was eating. He just sat next to him and finished his own meal in silence, letting him work through his food.

When he finally had to push his plate away because he couldn’t eat another bite despite over half of the goo being left was when Shiro turned to him.

“Do you mind coming to the communications room with me? I have something that I’d like to ask you.”

Keith felt his stomach tighten, a sense of uneasiness immediately taking over his brain.

“It’s not anything bad,” Shiro said, waving his hands frantically as he must’ve seen the worry blooming on Keith’s face. “I promise. It’s just what you want to do now that you’re free from the sex house.”

Keith relaxed slightly, but nodded stiffly and pushed his chair back to follow Shiro from the room. They walked back through the hallways to the room that they’d been in the night before, the path slightly more familiar than it had been. He sat down at one of the monitors and pulled up the program that they’d been using the night before as he waited for Shiro to start speaking.

“Last night, Matt found a planet that has resources for everyone who was just liberated. We want to drop all of you off somewhere safe because we know that we can’t keep you on board when we’re still fighting the Galra. It would be too dangerous. The rest of the people who were locked away with you are looking forward to being let off at this planet to move on with their lives.”

Keith felt his panic begin to rise at the words. The thought of having to interact with even more people and try to build a life for himself was even more terrifying.

“But you don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Shiro continued.

Keith looked up at him, eyes going wide and mouth dropping open.

“You seem to have gotten comfortable over the past day with being in the Castle and if you want to accept the risk by staying here, you can. We’re giving you a choice in whether you want to leave or not and we won’t force you to do either. It’s completely up to you.”

Keith continued to stare at him. The emotions hit him strongly, stealing his breath and making his heart nearly beat out of his chest. It took him a moment to decipher what exactly he was feeling. First, and foremost he was happy that Shiro would take the time to consider his feelings in such a way. Or that he’d come to understand him so quickly was amazing in and of itself when he hadn’t even spoken. He felt relief because for a while longer he could still have a sense of equilibrium. It would minimize the amount of surprises that he would be faced to deal with. Even if the ship was attacked by Galra or some other group of aliens, he would still have somewhere he belonged and would be treated with respect.

Shiro began to fidget in his seat and he realized that several moments had passed and he still hadn’t said anything.

“Are you okay, Keith? That wasn’t too much of a shock, was it?” he asked, nervously.

Keith finally managed to close his mouth and he smiled softly, shaking his head. He turned towards the keyboard and typed out two works rather quickly. He was getting the hang of working with the computer.

_Thank you_

“’Thank you,’ huh?” Shiro said, looking disappointed. “I guess you would want to leave and move on with your life after everything that’s happened. I understand.”

Keith furrowed his brow, wondering what Shiro was talking about when he realized that he hadn’t exactly answered Shiro’s question. He shook his head quickly and bent over the keyboard.

_I meant thank you for the choice. I want to stay._

“Oh,” he breathed. He smiled at Keith so sweetly, that he nearly forgot how to breathe. “I’m glad.”

Keith swallowed and looked down at his hands in his lap.

“Do you want to see more of the ship? I can take you around to the training decks and show you where Pidge works in her lab? I know that you’ve been in the Black Lion already, but I could take you down to the hanger if you want?”

Shiro was so earnest in his statements and his desire to spend time with him was so evident that it made Keith blush. He peeked up at Shiro through his eyelashes and saw that he was biting his lap and kept glancing away from him. Keith nodded and Shiro grinned.

“Come on, then!” he said, pushing his chair back and holding out a hand to Keith.

Keith stared at it for a moment before placing the tips of his fingers in Shiro’s palm. Shiro gripped his hand firmly, but not tightly and pulled him from the chair and from the room.

“We can go to Pidge’s lab first. It’s on the way to the training rooms and I’m sure that she’d love to see you since the rest of the Paladins haven’t gotten the chance to talk to you very much.”

They twisted and turned through hallways and Keith tried to keep track of where they were, but soon his mind became too overwhelmed from the identical corridors that he just gave up in trying to understand where Shiro was taking them.

“Pidge used to work in the middle of the hallway for a while. Her machines and projects built up and we decided to give her her own room so that she’d have a place that was entirely hers to work with.”

Shiro came to a stop in front of a large door that had the Green Paladin symbol painted on it. He pressed a button off to the side, making the doors slide open. The room was filled with machines of every shape and size. There were several piles of spare parts and other piles that looked like they could be spare parts or were projects that were half-finished, Keith wasn’t really sure. One table pushed off against the wall had several monitors on it that looked like they came from the communications room and were displaying various images or documents.

Amidst all the chaos, Pidge was bent over a table in the middle, clearly hard at work on something that Keith couldn’t make out. She looked determined in what she was doing and was tapping away at a tablet next to her.

“Morning, Pidge!” Shiro greeted.

She tapped out a few more commands before looking in their direction.

“Morning Shiro! And Keith! Just the person I wanted to see,” she said, hopping down from her stool and picking up the tablet device to walk over to where they were standing.

Keith cocked his head at her, unsure as to why she would be looking for him.

“I have something that might interest you,” she said, stepping next to his side and holding out the tablet. Keith watched as her fingers moved expertly over the keys. “It’s pretty much good to go, I just need to do one last systems check to make sure there aren’t any bugs that I didn’t catch. But you can access a Castle map here so that you know where you’re going. This will tell you if anyone is in the different rooms of the Castle in case you need to find someone or want to know if the training room is available. This button over here will pull up an input screen where you can type out what you want to say like you’ve been doing in the communications room. And this last little red one here is a distress signal in case you ever need help. It sends it to all of us so that the person who’s closest will come and find you. Just try not to hit it accidentally. So, what do you think?”

Pidge grinned up at him and Keith could only stare at the tablet. No one had ever held such consideration for him or taken the time to do something so considerate. He reached for the tablet with shaking hands and Pidge handed it over easily. He pressed the button for the input screen and began to slowly type.

_Thank you. So much._

It didn’t seem like enough, but Keith didn’t know how else to put what he wanted to say into words.

“I’m glad that you like it!” she said and held out her hands for it back. Keith gave it a little reluctantly. “Don’t worry. You’ll get it back in two ticks.” She hurried back to her table and plugged a wire into the tablet, tapping out a command on the opposite device. “I stayed up pretty late last night getting everything set up and was happy that I managed to get most of it done this morning. I didn’t want to take too long getting this put together for you because I knew that it would be something that you’d find useful. And I thought that you could take it with you if you decided to leave the ship. There we go!”

Pidge pulled the cord from the tablet and hurried back over to Keith. “It’s all yours now!”

Keith smiled and hugged the tablet to his chest. He’d never been given something like this before, or had one person put so much thought into something for him.

“Thanks, Pidge,” Shiro said.

“No problem. I’m just happy to see that Keith is doing so well so soon. You’ve only been here a day, but it’s like you’re already part of the family. It’s going to be weird not seeing you around the halls.”

Keith cocked his head, confused by Pidge’s statement. For one thing, they hadn’t even seen each other in the hallways so he wasn’t sure why Pidge would think that she wouldn’t see him at all. And then he remembered that Pidge didn’t know that he was staying. She thought that he would be leaving with the other passengers aboard the Castle. He quickly opened the input document and began to type. Pidge watched him and waited as he held the tablet out for her to read.

_I’m staying on the ship_

Pidge gasped and looked between Keith and Shiro. “He’s staying? He’s really staying?”

Shiro nodded. “Yeah. I just explained the situation to him before we came to visit you and he said that he wanted to stay.”

“I’m so glad!” she exclaimed before wrapping her arms tightly around Keith’s torso.

Keith tensed at the contact and held his arms up and away from where Pidge was, unsure of what to do. He looked over at Shiro who was watching them with obvious amusement. He looked back down at Pidge, warily and waited as she slowly let go of him and stepped away.

“Sorry about my excite-oh, did that make you uncomfortable? I suppose I should’ve asked before getting in your personal space. I’m sorry, Keith.”

He shrugged, but still hadn’t relaxed from the unexpected contact.

“Why don’t we go on with the tour of the Castle, then? You can get the hang of using your new tablet and I can show you where we are on the map?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded and began to fiddle with the icons until he had the map pulled up.

“I’ll just get back to work then,” Pidge sighed, turning back to her worktable.

“We’ll see you later then. Remember that we’re meeting at the bridge for our wormhole to the planet after lunch.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

Keith watched Pidge where she was hunched over her worktable.

“Keith? You coming?” Shiro asked.

He nodded, giving Pidge one last look before he padded out of the room after Shiro.

“Now that that’s done, we can go on with the rest of our tour. Can I see the map?”

Keith nodded and held out the tablet.

“We’re right here,” he said, pointing to a room that was labeled ‘Pidge’s Workroom.’ “We’re going to keep walking down this hallway and then we’ll get to the training rooms.”

Keith nodded and looked over the rest of the map as they continued to walk.

“You know…Pidge has come a long way since we all started working together as the Paladins of Voltron. She wanted to leave to find her father. Matt wanted to find him too, but he was the one who helped convince her to stay, saying that by forming Voltron, they’d have the best chance of success and resources to fight the Galra and free him.”

_Did you find him?_

Shiro read over Keith’s words. “Not yet. We’re still looking though. We have some strong intelligence as to where he might be and we’re doing everything we can to help other people as we make our way towards where he is. It’s still hard sometimes. I think it might be a little harder for Pidge than Matt, but…I hope that we find him.”

_Me too_

“Thank you, Keith. I’m sure that Pidge and Matt would appreciate that a lot. Ah, here we are,” Shiro said, opening another door. “There are several different levels of training and a couple of different decks with equipment. This is the one that we use the most often because it has simulators where you can fight a hologram opponent and work on your combat skills. I don’t know if you’re interested in something like this, but I can show you how the equipment works later if you want.”

Keith nodded and Shiro let the door slide shut again.

“Great! Now I can show you where we keep the lions. They should all be in their individual bays after yesterday and since we might have to take them out again today. If you want to see the other lions, I’m sure that Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Matt wouldn’t mind introducing you to them. But for now, I can just show you Black.”

Keith followed along behind Shiro as he tracked their path on the map, having an easier time of remembering where they’ve gone now that he could actually see it. He barely noticed that they’d passed through another doorway until Shiro said something to him.

“Keith?”

He looked up and found himself face-to-face, or as close as he could get with a giant robot lion standing in front of him. His eyes widened and he let the tablet fall to the side. He couldn’t really believe that he’d actually ridden in that thing the day before.

“I had the same reaction the first time that I saw one of the lions,” Shiro said, amused.

Keith pointed at it and arched an eyebrow in question.

“You can get closer if you want.”

Keith walked forward, eyes roving over the large robot. Now that he was seeing it for the second time, he didn’t feel quite as nervous as before, but he was also more familiar with Shiro and that helped to keep his nerves in check. As he got closer, he felt a strange prodding at the back of his consciousness. He looked up at the Black Lion in question and cocked his head, trying to grasp at what was nagging at him.

The harder that he prodded, the more it seemed to shrink away as though it were getting further away from where he was. Once the feeling had completely disappeared, it left him with a deep curiosity and need to find out what it was, but he had a feeling that the answer wasn’t in the room with him. Perhaps it was somewhere else in the Castle. He’d have to take some time to explore.

“Do you want to go inside?” Shiro asked.

Keith looked back at him and shrugged and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated! 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> You can follow me on twitter as www.twitter.com/m_o_l_i_m


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was meant to get written and posted two weeks ago, but I was super busy with exams and having to pack up everything so that I'd be able to bring it all back to the States after my semester in Scotland. But I've finally got it written now that I'm back and here it is! I'm actually really looking forward to the next chapter because I think that it's going to be a good one. :D
> 
> <3 MOLIM

After Shiro had shown Keith the inside of his Lion again, the two of them walked back through the hallways. Keith was studiously looking over the map, trying to get at least a basic understanding of the layout of the Castle and following their path as best he could while watching out of his periphery to make sure that he was still following Shiro even as they weaved through identical hallways and retraced what Keith thought was the path they’d taken before. Soon enough the sound of murmurs that were coming from a large group reached their ears and continued to grow in volume as they got closer.

The pair rounded the corner to the main deck and found the other ex-prisoners standing around and talking with each other excitedly. Allura, Coran, and the rest of the paladins were interspersed with the group and talking with them. Allura’s attention was quickly drawn to Keith and Shiro as they walked through the doorway. She wrapped up what she was saying and excused herself, hurrying towards them.

“Shiro, I was just about to call for you,” she said, placing her hand lightly on his bicep.

“We haven’t been gone that long have we?” Shiro asked, brow furrowing.

“You have actually. The two of you missed the lunch that we had prepared earlier, but once we get this taken care of both of you are free to eat if you’re hungry. We would just like to make the jump to the planet that Matt had found and everyone here is anxious to move on with their lives. Like we discussed before, there shouldn’t be a threat at this planet, but we need to be prepared just in case.”

Shiro nodded. “I’ll go and take my seat in a minute and prepare for the jump.”

“Wonderful. I’ll let the others know that we’re getting ready and have them take their seats as well.”

Allura hurried off and began to make her way through the large group. The news that they would be leaving quickly spread and Shiro took his chance to speak quietly to Keith.

“I have to go and make sure that everything is fine as we move. The ride should be pretty smooth so if you want to wait back here or even talk to the rest of the group you can. It’s whatever you feel comfortable with, okay?”

Keith nodded and watched as Shiro walked away. He clutched his tablet to his chest and made a spot for himself against the back wall, letting his gaze rove over the groups that had already formed. He was amazed that all of them were smiling so brightly and looking so relaxed. They were eager to start their new lives and get on with things while he was anxious, silent, and had baggy clothes hanging off of his frame. He frowned and let his gaze fall to the floor. The stark differences between himself and the rest of them made him wonder why Shiro would even want to be his friend in the first place.

Allura’s voice drowned into the background of his own thoughts as she directed the Paladins and spoke to everyone. Pidge had said that she would miss seeing him in the hallway before she even really interacted with him. Their statements didn’t seem real. How could anyone be so interested in a person so quickly? It didn’t make sense to him. He looked at the tablet in his arms. Pidge had put so much work into making it for him and she didn’t even know him. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever really understand the motivations of other people or what drove them to be so kind when there were still so many horrible things in the universe.

A loud cheering pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to see that they were orbiting a new planet. He hadn’t even realized that they were making the jump and hadn’t felt anything either. He watched as Allura turned from her place on the podium to face all of them.

“Welcome to your new home, everyone!” she said, smiling brightly. “If you’ll all come with us to the pods we can get you loaded into those and on your way down to the planet. Paladins, follow behind us and Coran if you wouldn’t mind sending a message down to the planet, that would be greatly appreciated.”

“Of course, Princess,” Coran said brightly, tugging at the edges of his moustache.

Allura led the group from the room easily as the Paladins followed behind. Keith hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should stay on the main deck or if he was allowed to go with them. He didn’t really know the rest of the group and wasn’t sure if he’d be welcome as they parted ways for good.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, pausing in front of him. “Would you like to come with us?”

Keith ducked his head and pushed a strand of hair behind his ear as it fell in front of his face. He nodded, keeping his gaze on the floor.

“Come on then!” Shiro said brightly. “The pods are pretty cool. I think you’ll like them.”

Keith peeked up at Shiro and found him smiling at him. He slowly took a step forward and followed him into the hallway. Everyone else had gotten ahead of them, but Shiro made no move to hurry and catch up, choosing to match Keith’s pace instead. Keith kept his head bowed and his grip tight on his tablet, focusing on watching the ground pass by underneath his feet as he took each step forward.

“Did you like the wormhole jump?” Shiro asked, breaking the silence between them.

Keith glanced up at Shiro and bit his lip. He turned his gaze to his tablet and navigated the buttons quickly, beginning to type something.

_I didn’t watch it_

Shiro chuckled. “Didn’t watch it, huh? No matter. We’ll have to do another one soon enough so you can see how it works then. It’s pretty cool actually. When I first went through a jump I was amazed that the technology even existed. I never would’ve dreamed that something like that could be invented when all I knew was what had learned to pilot back on Earth.”

Keith cocked his head.

_Earth?_

“Yeah, it’s the planet that I’m from. I don’t really know how far we are from it right now, but I’m sure Coran could pull it up on the map later today. After we defeated Zarkon, we took a couple of trips back there. Hunk, Lance, Pidge, and Matt wanted to spend some time with their families since they didn’t really have the chance to tell them they were leaving before they disappeared.”

_What about you?_

Shiro shrugged. “I…kept to myself. Went home to this little shack that I’d found in the desert that I used to sneak out to when I needed a break from the Garrison. It was better that way, I thought. I didn’t really want to become this big spectacle after everything that was said about the Kerberos mission.” He cleared his throat. “Ah, we’re here. And it looks like they’ve already got one of the pods ready.”

Keith followed Shiro’s gaze and saw that half of the group was indeed standing around Allura and the rest of the Paladins as a door slid open behind them. Some of them looked over as Keith and Shiro joined them. They exchanged looks before approaching Keith, much to his surprise.

“Keith, may we have a word?”

Keith nodded and clutched his tablet close, completely bewildered.

“I know that you were kept away from us. We rarely saw you taken from the room that you were kept in.”

Keith’s grip tightened on his tablet and his eyes dropped to the floor as the uncomfortable memories were brought up.

“But we hope that after everything, you’re okay.”

Keith’s eyes widened and he looked up, shocked.

“The rest of us were able to lean on each other for constant support and relied on each other when things were particularly bad. But you had none of that and we cannot begin to imagine how that must’ve felt or what that must’ve been like. Already, we can notice the change in you and the healing that has happened since you’ve been freed. Allura told us that you will be staying on the ship with them instead of coming with the rest of us and we all hope that you find what you need and what you’re looking for.”

Keith nodded slowly, looking around at the faces that were in front of him. They smiled back warmly before moving off to begin getting loaded into the waiting pod. During his captivity he’d rarely given thought to the other people who were in the house. Only focused on surviving and dreading the next time the door would be opened and another drunk officer would stumble in. He was thankful that they’d thought of him, but now that he was free, their comfort wasn’t what he needed in order to heal. They had their group but he knew that he would have to carve his own path.

As the doors slid shut on the first pod, Keith raised his hand and waved them off. That was the least he could do for the kind words they’d left him with.

After the first group was sent off, the second group was loaded into their pod and directed towards the new planet. Silence filled the spaces that chattering voices had just occupied as they all watched the pods disappear from sight.

“It’ll take fifteen ticks for the pods to return from the planet,” Coran spoke up from the control panel. “After we get those back and secured, we’ll be good to go in moving on to our next destination.”

“Thank you, Coran. We’ll be back on the main deck discussing what our next move is going to be,” she said, turning away and headed towards the door. The other Paladins followed behind her and Shiro fell in with them easily, laughing and smiling at something someone said. Keith hung back and watched them. His eyes flicked over the group and he found Matt looking back at him. He felt his face heat up and he looked away, tightening his grip on his tablet.

Keith hadn’t talked much to the rest of the Paladins, except for when he got his tablet form Pidge. Most of his time had been spent with Shiro or alone.

“Hey.”

Keith looked up and froze. Matt had held back from the group until he was walking next to him. He forced his legs to keep moving despite his surprise, not wanting to anger him by slowing him down.

“I know that we haven’t gotten the chance to talk to each other over these past two days. So I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Matt.”

Keith nodded and held out his tablet.

_Keith_

Matt’s lips twitched. “I know. It’s kind of hard not to know when Shiro’s been doing nothing but talk about you.”

Keith’s brows furrowed and he shook his head.

“Oh believe me, it’s true. He’s one of the reasons why Katie, well, Pidge, worked to get that tablet put together last night. But she’s also just a really thoughtful person and wanted to help make you more comfortable.”

Keith nodded and looked over at where Pidge was animatedly talking to Shiro.

“Anyway…if you ever need anything and Shiro’s not around I’ll be happy to help. Especially if you’re interested in the training deck. That’s where I spend a lot of my time and if we’re being honest, you could do with building some muscle.”

Keith frowned and shot him a glare that drew a chuckle from him.

“Don’t be mad at me because it’s true. Have you even gotten anything to eat today?”

Keith rolled his eyes and was about to nod when his stomach growled. Loudly. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and curled in on himself, embarrassed.

Matt snorted. “That’s what I thought. Hey Shiro! You’re boyfriend’s hungry!”

Shiro glanced back, eyebrows furrowing when he caught sight of Keith and he stopped, giving them time to catch up. “Shit. That’s right. You haven’t had lunch yet.”

Matt rolled his eyes and walked past them. “Take him to get something to eat. I’ll let everyone else know where you went.”

“Thanks Matt. And he’s not my boyfriend!” he protested even as Matt waved off his statement. Shiro frowned and turned to Keith. “Sorry if what Matt said made you uncomfortable. Sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop talking.”

Keith shook his head.

“So, you’re hungry?”

Keith smiled sheepishly and shrugged, drawing a smile from Shiro.

“Looks like we still have to work on getting you more comfortable with asking for things. Come on, the kitchen’s back this way,” he said waving for Keith to follow him.

Keith’s stomach growled again and he hurried to follow Shiro through the hallways that were starting to become just a little bit more familiar. Maybe in another day or two he’d actually know where he was going without having to rely on the map.

Shiro walked into the kitchen ahead of him and moved over to a set of machines that Keith hadn’t seen before. Instead of following Shiro to where he had pulled out a pair of plates and was changing the settings, he sat down on one of the stools that was around the counter in the center of the room. He watched as Shiro pulled a nozzle free and squirted large portions of goo onto both of the plates.

He brought the plates over and reached under the counter to pull two spoons free, passing one to Keith who set his tablet aside in favor of the plate. His protesting stomach was enough to keep him from worrying about the fact that Shiro was sitting across from him as he ate, the urge for food overruling the anxiety that had plagued him over the past two days.

Keith blinked down in shock when he went back for another bite and found his plate empty. He placed a hand over his stomach, noting that he was full, but not uncomfortably so. He wondered if his appetite was increasing because he didn’t think that he’d managed to eat that much in the past two days. Or as long as he’d been alive for that matter.

“Are you still hungry?” Shiro asked, catching his attention.

Keith looked up at him and at his empty plate, too. He wondered how long he’d been sitting there after finishing his meal. He shook his head.

Shiro raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head again, trying to reinforce the point that he was actually full.

“Okay, then.” He reached over and took Keith’s empty plate and stacked it on top of his own before carrying them over to a conveyor belt that had been built into the wall. Keith watched as he set the plates on the belt and pressed a button in the wall that started the conveyor and carried the dishes away. “Now that we’ve both gotten the chance to eat, we can head back to the main deck and see where we’re headed to next. I’m sure the pods have already gotten back and Coran has rejoined everyone else.”

Keith nodded and collected his tablet before sliding off the stool and following Shiro from the room.

The main piloting deck was surprisingly loud for how few people were actually on it. There seemed to be even more conversation and chatter than when the rescued prisoners had been talking excitedly about moving to the new planet. Lance was talking loudly about something, making large gestures with his hands even as Hunk watched him fondly and Pidge looked completely unimpressed.

“What’s got Lance so excited?” Shiro asked.

“We were looking for a place to move next and Lance is insisting that we should go to a planet with a beach and enjoy some time off. Like we haven’t gotten enough of that recently with our annual trip back to Earth,” Pidge answered.

“Oh come on! That was months ago!” Lance objected.

Shiro smiled ruefully.

“It may have been months, but we still have a lot of work to do with protecting the universe,” Matt said from where he was leaning against his chair.

“Matt’s right,” Allura said.

“Of course he is,” Lance grumbled.

“I’ve already located a new planet that might still be under the Galra threat. I’ve sent signals to them to confirm their status, but haven’t received anything back. I want us to move to this new planet immediately and assess the situation. If they are no longer under the influence of the Galra, then we can assist them in establishing a new communication system for not only us to keep in contact, but for our allies to keep in contact if they need too as well.”

Lance grumbled, but didn’t object.

“We should get going in any case. If the Galra are still there it would be better to take care of them quickly and disrupt any lasting influence they might have,” Shiro supplied.

“Exactly,” agreed Allura. “Take your seats everyone. Let’s get ready for another jump.”

“Want to see what a wormhole jump looks like from the front seat?” Shiro asked, turning to Keith.

Keith shrugged even as the corner of his lips quirked.

He grinned. “Come on, then.”

The two walked over to the seat that positioned at the head of the others. Shiro sat down and Keith stood next to him. Keith’s eyes roved over the windows in front of them. He watched as a large blue gateway opened in the middle of the space in front of them as they continued to move forward. The sight was incredible. He never would’ve thought that something like that could even exist.

The ride was surprisingly smooth as they moved through the tunnel. There wasn’t any shaking or feeling of movement that Keith would’ve suspected would come with moving across space. Instead, they reached the end of the wormhole rather quickly and exited in the same way they’d entered it. The attitude on the deck immediately changed after they finished the jump. The cheery and good-natured fun that had reflected the conversations morphed into something far more somber.

And Keith didn’t have any question as to why as he caught sight of the large ships with the familiar purple symbols and insignia.

“Paladins,” Allura said in all seriousness, “to your Lions.”


	6. Chapter 6

Keith watched as everyone left for their lions. Shiro didn’t even spare him a glance or a word. He shouldn’t have felt hurt by it, but this was something that he wasn’t used to. He’d been around the Galra whenever they came to the sex house, but he never had to fight them. He never saw them in their ships and at war. As strong as he knew they were and as intimidating as Voltron was, he still felt utterly helpless having to watch from the sidelines. There was nothing that he could do and he hated that.

He glanced at Allura as the fighting continued on screen. She was frowning and looked tense from where she stood on the podium. She was watching what was unfolding with the air of someone who’d seen it all before. But Keith hadn’t seen it before. He wasn’t familiar with the way Voltron was able to dodge the laser beams and quickly equipped a sword before exchanging it for a shield and then a blaster.

They were skilled at their work. That much was obvious to him. But it didn’t make it any easier to watch. How could one robot and five people stand up to half of a fleet of ships? How often had they done it? And what would happen if they didn’t win?

Keith clutched his tablet to his chest tightly. He wanted to sob and scream and cry out at the injustice of it all, but he kept silent as he’d taught himself to so long ago. Because silence had kept him safe. And there was silence on the deck even as the voices of the Paladins filtered through the speakers. Allura said nothing. Coran said nothing, but tapped away at the desk that he was in front of. Shiro gave orders, showing how naturally he was as a leader. And everyone else responded to him easily.

Once a critical hit had been landed on the main ship to incapacitate it, Voltron broke apart and the Paladins got to work causing more damage. They took care of the other battle ships and watched each other’s backs. Keith drew in a sharp breath when it looked like one had snuck up behind Shiro, but Lance got to him before he could fire on the Black Lion.

Allura pressed a button on the console near her and Keith watched as a screen came to life.

“Galra Ship, this is Princess Allura of Altea. If you surrender peacefully now, we will cause no further damage to your ships. Call off your battle flyers. The Galra have already lost the war. There is no point in forcing the fighting to continue when Zarkon has been defeated. Confirm your surrender.”

The video image came to life on the screen. A rather haggard and stressed looking Galra commander was on the screen. He looked angry and Keith knew that he wanted to protest with every muscle in his body. Until his eyes flicked to the side towards where Keith was standing next to Allura. He seemed to tense further before relaxing.

Keith watched as he turned his head and signaled to what was probably one of the other crewmembers before looking back at Allura.

“We confirm our surrender and will have all fighter units stand down. What are your terms?” The question was not one that was pleasant for him to ask, but he wouldn’t have been able to move forward without heeding Allura’s directions.

“Withdraw power from all weapons systems. All guards must be unarmed. Your ship will be boarded by the Paladins as well as myself for inspection. You will give up all of your prisoners. And you won’t touch a single crate of cargo that you may be carrying.”

“And after we’ve complied with your terms?”

“All weapons will be removed and the Castle will tow your ship to the nearest planet in the Alliance where you and your crew will be placed in front of the Intergalactic Court for judgement for your crimes. In doing so, all logs on your ship will be inspected by the members of the Court. If it is found that they have been tampered with, the strongest punishment will be given.”

He sighed. “We hereby agree to your given terms and will prepare ourselves for boarding in 20 ticks.”

“Excellent,” Allura said, before cutting the video call.

“Are the Lions going to go with you?” Coran asked.

“It’s too risky to have all of them on a Galra ship. If we bring the Red Lion only, that should be enough to make them wary, but also give us enough fire power to make an escape if we need it.”

“Paladins, return to your hangers. The ship has surrendered and we are going to board them in 20 ticks. Everyone should congregate in the Red Lion’s hanger as that is the one we’re using to fly to the ship.”

“Yes, Princess!” They all chorused.

Keith swallowed, his heart still beating far too fast in his chest as he watched the Lions fly back towards the Castle. It was only a split second before he frantically started navigating his tablet and pulled up the map route to the hangers. He turned and ran from the room with curious calls behind him.

The walls became a blur and his stomach tightened, his nerves starting to take over. He told himself that he wasn’t going to let himself have a panic attack. Not then. He needed to get somewhere first. He had to make sure that Shiro was okay. He had to see him. Because he was fighting the Galra. And the Galra always chose to play dirty.

Keith slipped as he tried to stop himself from running past the door but managed to catch himself. He burst through the doors to the hanger and watched as the Black Lion settled down in the center. Once its head lowered he ran over to it, waiting as the mouth opened too slowly.

Shiro pulled his helmet off as he walked down the ramp, shaking out his sweaty hair. He froze when he looked up and found Keith waiting for him.

“Keith?” he asked. “Is everything oka-“

Keith rushed forward and threw his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, burying his face in his neck. He needed to feel him. Needed to make sure that he was okay.

“Keith, what’s wrong?” Shiro asked. “Did something happen?”

Keith shook his head, not wanting to pull back to try and type out an explanation.

Slowly, Shiro’s hands wrapped around his back and brought him close. The last of the tension that Keith had been holding from watching their fight melted away as he relaxed in the embrace. He could feel the stark differences between them: how muscular Shiro was and how big and warm his hands were. It made Keith feel dwarfed in his baggy clothes and skinny frame.

Despite all of that, there was no question how gentle and caring Shiro was being. He had the power and the ability to harm Keith but he hadn’t. Before, when soldiers came to his room, their touches wouldn’t be kind or gentle. They were harsh, only seeing him as some object, but Shiro was different.

It made him all the more relieved that Shiro was okay.

Shiro ran a hand up and down his back soothingly as he started to shake and tears formed in his eyes. He felt completely overwhelmed, but not in an entirely bad way. He sniffled and Shiro pulled him closer.

“Keith if something’s wrong, I want you to tell me.”

He shook his head again. Shiro wasn’t understanding. And he wouldn’t understand until Keith gave him an explanation. Reluctantly, he pulled away to look at Shiro’s face. The worry was clear in his eyes. He brought his hands up to cup Keith’s cheeks and used his thumbs to brush away the tears that were still falling.

Keith looked down at his tablet that he was clutching, forcing Shiro’s hands to fall away. He typed shakily, having to backtrack when he kept making mistakes.

_I’m glad that you’re okay_

“Nothing else happened?”

He shook his head.

“You were just worried?”

Keith nodded.

“I’m sorry that I worried you, but I’m okay. I need to get to the Red Lion hanger to fly over to the ship. Coran will take good care of you on the main deck okay?” Shiro asked, turning towards the door.

Keith frowned and shook his head.

“What is it Keith?”

He turned to his tablet, but he didn’t know how to put his feelings into words.

_I don’t_

_I want_

_You could’ve_

He made a frustrated noise when he couldn’t get it to come out right. Shiro placed his hands over his.

“I have to go to the ship. Everything is going to be okay, I promise. I’ll have Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Matt, and Allura. We’ll keep each other safe, I promise. It’ll be safe on the ship. I want you to stay here for now. Maybe in the future when you’ve learned how to fight we can take you on missions, okay?”

Keith’s shoulders sagged. He didn’t want to wait. He didn’t want Shiro to have to go out and fight. He wanted him to be safe.

“I’ll be okay, I promise. And I’ll come back to you.”

Keith swallowed, trying to fight back the ball of anxiety that wanted to work its way up his throat. He nodded. More than a little reluctantly, but he did.

“Thank you. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Keith watched him run to the door to his hanger. He looked back over his shoulder at him before disappearing through the doorway. Keith let out a breath before forcing his legs to move. He needed to get back to the main deck. At least there, he wouldn’t be left wondering what was happening.

Coran was still at his desk when he returned. Keith thought that he hadn’t even noticed that he’d left, but he looked over his shoulder as he walked in.

“Ah, Keith, you’ve come back. The Red Lion was just about to depart if you’d like to watch the monitors with me,” Coran said before going back to pressing various buttons and navigating the multiple screens that were displayed in front of them.

Keith walked over slowly and came to stop next to him. He watched as the Red Lion flew into their field of vision and approached the Galra ship. He tightened his grip on his tablet as the hanger door of the ship opened and let it inside before closing.

“Don’t worry, Keith. Everything is going to be fine. Look at this.”

Keith watched as a screen popped up with a view of the inside of the hanger.

“We have video feed linked to each of the Lions so that we’re able to see what’s in front of them if we manage to get separated and they’re still in range.”

A group of Galra were waiting in the hanger. They looked weaponless as they’d promised, but it still made Keith nervous that the Paladins were going to approach them. The group came into view, looking as strong as the defenders of the universe should. Words were exchanged that they couldn’t hear, but the commander of the ship held out a hand before turning. Allura relayed something to the Paladins and Matt and Hunk stayed behind with the Lion.

Keith was relieved that they weren’t leaving behind all precautions in the face of the enemy. There was always the possibility that they would go back on their word.

The silence between him and Coran was heavy when the group walked through the door at the end of the hanger.

“Now that we don’t have much to see, let’s try something,” Coran said, fiddling with his controls again. Soon enough, sound filtered through the speakers as an audio box appeared. He opened another interface that looked as though it was Galra. “I’m hoping to tweak the audio enough that we can hear all of the conversation, but if not, we’ll at least have what the Paladins are saying. Now I’m going to see if I can get access to their security cameras. If Pidge was here she’d be able to do it, but she has showed me a few things over the years,” he said, cracking his knuckles.

Coran got to work, typing quickly as the conversations got started on the ship.

“Like I stated before, we want a complete overview of your ship, your crew, any prisoners you’re holding on board, and your cargo,” Allura’s voice spoke up.

“When was the last time you had contact with another ship?” Pidge asked.

“And that didn’t raise any suspicions?” Shiro asked, incredulous.

“Looks like we’re only getting this half of the conversation,” Coran muttered. “I’ll try and fix that after I hack into the security feeds.”

“So you continued what you believed the Galra mission was even though you had no contact with anyone else in the empire?” Allura sighed. “Alright. Where did you place any weapons that your crew may have been carrying?”

“Take us there,” Shiro broke in.

“Ah hah! There we go!” Coran said, triumphantly.

Keith watched as a new screen popped up. It was static for a moment before a picture came into focus. It was one of the corridors on the ship. And it was completely deserted.

Coran pulled at the edges of his mustache. “Well I suppose that’s a start. I was hoping that we’d pull up the screen and get a view of the Paladins. Let’s see here…”

Now that the initial video was up, it was much easier to flip through the various camera feeds. Finally, they caught sight of their group. Keith was worried that they would’ve been surrounded by other Galra as they walked through the rest of the ship, but they were only being led by the Commander and who Keith assumed was his second.

They opened the door and walked inside and Coran changed to the camera inside. It was a storage room that was filled with boxes. In front of them all was a large pile of weapons that seemed to have been hastily stowed there.

“What’s in all of these boxes?” Pidge asked.

They nodded and turned to exit the room.

“Now your prisoners,” Shiro said.

Keith squinted at the screen, thinking that he saw the Commander frowning. He said something that they couldn’t hear.

“Even if you don’t have any prisoners on board, we want to see where you would hold them,” Allura interjected, voice barely hiding her annoyance.

Coran tracked their path on the security cameras. They walked down a pathway of several hallways until they came to a large door. The Commander input a key code into the panel next to the door. It slid open slowly and they walked inside. When Coran didn’t switch the camera feed immediately, Keith looked over at him.

“There doesn’t seem to be a camera inside,” Coran said. “Let me just…”

He pulled up a map of some kind that Keith focused on until he heard a gasp come through the speakers. He squinted at the screen, hoping to catch some sight of what was going on inside the room.

“Release them immediately!” Allura’s fierce voice broke through. “Keeping these people like this… Release them! They need to be properly clothed and fed.”

Angry protests erupted over the speakers. They came so fast and the conversation was so mixed that Keith had no hope of trying to decipher what they were even saying, let alone what they were seeing. Finally Allura’s broke through the rest.

“You and your high command are going to be transported on our ship while we tow your ship to the nearest Alliance planet. Two of the Paladins are going to stay on board to ensure that your lower ranking crew members are not mistreating these people and that everyone is being properly fed. None of them will be permitted weapons. Are we clear?”

“Good,” she continued. “Lance and Hunk are going to stay on the ship while the rest of us return to the Castle. Assemble your crew in the hanger immediately.”

The Paladins walked out of the room in silence. None of them were talking, but the group looked tired. Weighed down by something and Keith suspected the answer to that was in the room that they couldn’t gain access to. He wondered what was hidden inside, but he knew that whatever it was wasn’t good.

It was a relief when they made it back to the Red Lion. Hunk stayed on the ship with Lance while the others loaded themselves into the Lion. The command of the ship situated themselves in a nearby transport pod and both groups were back at the Castle in the blink of an eye. Coran continued to watch the screens and monitor the situation on board, leaving Keith to wait for Shiro to get back.

They looked even more tired when he made it back to the main deck. Shoulders drooping and eyes looking tired as they shuffled through the door. The command from the ship was behind them, but Shiro made a beeline for him regardless of the newcomers.

“Can I hug you?” he asked.

Keith nodded dumbly a second before Shiro was pulling him into his arms. Shiro was tense and some emotion was hidden under the surface, but he still managed to relax slightly in what Keith thought might be an attempt to keep him from getting worried. Keith could sense his slight sense of desperation and wondered just what he’d seen that had caused him to have such an emotional reaction.

He caught sight of the Galra Commander over Shiro’s shoulder and saw him watching them with interest. Watching him. Keith buried his head in Shiro’s neck so he wouldn’t have to face his gaze. His look was cold and there was something shining in his eyes. Keith didn’t know what it was and he didn’t want to.

“Thank you,” Shiro whispered in his ear before pulling away. “Right, Allura, what’s the closest planet that we can travel to?”

She’d placed herself on the main platform, once again standing tall. “There seems to be one a handful of systems away. We won’t be able to make a jump since we’re towing a ship, but it won’t take too long to get there even operating at normal speed. Coran, set up the tractor beam.”

Coran typed out several quick commands and a blue beam extended from the ship and enveloped the Galra cruiser so that it was immobile.

“Set a course for Alpha Zed of the Genorian quadrant. Relay a message that we are on course and bringing a Galra ship for interrogation in front of the Galactic Court.”

Keith shivered and stepped closer to Shiro. He’d never heard Allura sound so cold and merciless.

What could they have seen on that ship?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for this chapter you guys!!! I hope that you're readyyyyyy. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Once the Castle was on course and experiencing no issues with the ship that they were towing, Allura turned to face the group from the podium. She looked over the Paladins as well as the Galra command from the ship. Shiro was still standing off to the side next to Keith and Pidge and Matt were watching the Galra warily.

“There are spare rooms that we will show you to. You are free to stay in these rooms and will have permission to access the kitchen as well as this main deck. All other areas of the Castle are off limits to you and I would strongly advise not wandering off,” Allura explained. “And if you do decide to try something, know that we will all know about it and adequate punishment will be given.”

She stepped down from where she was standing and walked over to the command. “Coran, please accompany us to the rooms to ensure that they are in order. Matt and Pidge will come with us as well. Shiro and Keith, I’d like you to stay here and monitor the situation on the Galra ship as well as the security feeds on the Castle.”

“Of course, Princess,” Coran said. He brought up several feeds before hurrying to follow the group from the room.

Keith shivered when the Galra commander gave him one last scrutinizing look before he walked through the doorway. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but Keith was going to stay as far away from him as possible.

Shiro sighed and walked over to the control panel so that he could stare up at the screens. He had his arms crossed and looked more tired than Keith had seen him in all the time that he’d known him. Keith followed after him and typed on his tablet, holding it out for Shiro to see.

_Are you okay?_

Shiro smiled tiredly and ran a hand through his hair. “I will be. Once we get these Galra in front of the Intergalactic Court.”

_What was on the ship?_

Shiro frowned and looked away. “Something that…wasn’t good. It was bad. Very bad.”

_Can you tell me?_

“I…can, but I don’t know if you’d like to know the details. And…I’d rather not talk about. At least not right now.”

Keith sighed and nodded. He was still curious and wanted to know what they’d found, but he wasn’t about to push Shiro into telling him. He might be able to get the story from one of the other Paladins. Someone on this ship had to be willing to tell him about it. Or maybe if he hung around the deck long enough he’d be able to hear the details of what they’d found if they needed to talk about it.

“Thank you,” Shiro said softly.

Thinking back to what Shiro had mentioned earlier, Keith typed out another question.

_Would you really teach me how to fight?_

Shiro’s brows drew down together. “Of course. I think it would be great to teach you a few things so you could protect yourself. If you want to handle it on your own we have a fully equipped training deck that can walk you through the basics of different simulations and help you build your combat skills. I can show you how to use all of it later if you want. As long as there’s nothing else that we’ll need to take care of today, that is.”

Shiro looked over to the doors as Allura, Coran, Matt, and Pidge walked back onto the main deck.

“The command has chosen to stay in their rooms until later when we have our next meal. I’d like to have a meeting with the Paladins alone. Coran, please stay here and monitor the situation on both the Castle as well as the ship. I want to know that Lance and Hunk are alright.”

“Of course, Princess,” Coran answered.

“Paladins, follow me.”

Shiro looked at Keith apologetically before moving off to follow Allura to a separate room. Keith looked over at where Coran was working and saw that he still had the video feeds of the ship pulled up and was tracking Lance and Hunk through the halls. From what Keith could see, they were doing inventory in the cargo room and securing all of the weapons that the guards had been using.

Keith let out a breath of air before turning to leave the room. He wasn’t about to find anything for himself there and he didn’t know how long the Paladins would be talking to Allura. With nothing else to occupy him, he thought it would be best if he made his way to the training deck on his own and started learning how to fight. Now that he had the means to protect himself, he was going to use everything in his power to make sure that he wasn’t left defenseless again.

The halls were eerily quiet and Keith looked around himself uneasily. He was used to walking through them with someone else and it was strange to be alone in a place as large as the Castle was. It didn’t help that there was a group of Galra on the ship. He just hoped that they would follow Allura’s instructions and only stay within the permitted areas that she’d laid out for them. He didn’t want to have to be around them anymore than necessary.

He pulled up the map on his tablet and followed the directions toward the training deck, doing his best to keep his footsteps quiet since any sound echoed eerily in the empty halls and sent shivers down his spine. He was beginning to think that it wasn’t the best idea for him to have gone off on his own, but he had nothing else to keep him occupied and he didn’t want to stand around doing nothing. The Castle was safe. He knew that. There was nothing that was going to hurt him while he was inside of it. Or there shouldn’t be.

Keith felt relief course through him when the door to the training deck actually came in sight. He walked through the door and looked around at the wide expanse of area. The room was brightly lit and the floors seemed to gleam which he appreciated. The deck was wide and he moved over to the wall to search for some control panel that would allow him to access the training plans or some sort of simulation.

When he still couldn’t find anything, he realized that it might not have been the best idea to go all the way down there without someone to show him how to operate the training deck. He didn’t even have anyone to show him how to fight!

He frowned and fiddled with the controls on his tablet, hoping that Pidge might have put something useful for him in this situation, but found nothing. He’d have to go see her later and ask if there was anything else that she hadn’t shown him. He pulled up the map instead and searched it for another room that might have some training equipment. If he couldn’t learn how to fight yet, maybe he could work on getting stronger.

Keith found the room where the pool was located and thought that he found a smaller room that was hidden away that looked as if it was some sort of personal gym in the Castle. Knowing that he didn’t have anything to lose by going to check it out, he left the training deck behind and hung a right. He stared at the screen, following the path carefully.

His intense focus was probably why he didn’t hear the footsteps at first.

He nearly froze in his tracks when the sound of the other set of footsteps finally managed to reach his ears. It made him uneasy, because he was sure that if it was one of the Paladins, they would’ve announced their presence already and would’ve had no cause to follow him silently.

He felt his panic begin to rise when they sounded like they kept getting closer. He swallowed thickly and let out a shaky breath before he worked up the courage to look over his shoulder.

Keith’s sense of panic increased when he saw that the person following him was the Galra commander from the ship. He had an intense look on his face and Keith didn’t want to know just what he was thinking or what put that look there. It didn’t help that he wasn’t supposed to be in that part of the ship either.

Keith walked faster and turned his attention to his tablet. He was far from the main deck where the Paladins were and he had no way to get into contact with them short of pressing the distress button. He let his thumb hover over the red button and he bit his lip, wondering if he should push it or if he should wait to see what might happen. He wanted the Paladins to trust them and the quickest way for them not to would be to press the button when he didn’t need help.

He turned his head to look over his shoulder again when a hand latched onto his shoulder and shoved him up against the wall. Keith gasped and scrambled to keep the tablet from falling from his arms. The commander was grinning wickedly, grin stretching wider as he looked over Keith’s face.

“I knew that it was you. You’re that little bitch from the sex house in the Sephino quadrant. Looks like it’s my lucky day,” he said lowly.

Without a second thought, Keith let his thumb hit the distress button. His eyes flitted down the hall, looking for some way out of this situation.

“Oh, don’t think that you’ll be getting away from me that easily,” he growled, tightening his grip on Keith’s shoulder and making him wince. “You seem to have gotten a big head. Do I need to remind you where you belong? Who you belong to?”

Keith tried to wiggle free, but the commander pressed up against him. He screwed his eyes shut when he felt the beginnings of the commander’s erection press against his stomach. The pressure was already building behind his eyes as memories flooded his senses and took him back to dark rooms and pain. He felt the phantom ache of hunger and bruises.

His eyes snapped open when his tablet was wrenched from his hands and thrown to the side. Keith watched in horror, afraid that the thing he cherished the most and that Pidge had put so much work into would be shattered before his eyes. Afraid that the one thing that had become his would be taken from him as he was once again shoved back into the life that he’d thought he’d been freed from forever.

But the tablet simply slid to the side, unharmed. Keith let out a shaky breath that quickly turned into a whimper when he was manhandled against the wall. He tried to wriggle free, but the commander fisted a hand in his hair tightly, shoving him to his knees. Keith saw the commander’s hand start to work at his belt and wondered if this was it. If everything that he’d hoped and worked for was finally for nothing and he was never meant to escape.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

Keith’s head whipped to the side, causing his hair to be pulled painfully, but he didn’t care because Matt was running down the hallway for them. The commander jumped back, putting distance between himself and Keith. Keith sagged against the wall, relief and exhaustion flooding through him.

“It’s not what you think,” the commander started, trying to explain away the situation.

The look on Matt’s face was dark and he didn’t even slow down before he punched the commander across the face and sent him sprawling on the floor. His hands were fisted at his sides and he stood over the Galra looking like he wanted nothing more than to put a blade through his heart.

“Matt! Matt what happened?”

Keith curled in on himself as Shiro’s voice rang down the hallway. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself and looked at Shiro’s approaching figure through tear-filled eyes. Anxiety bubbled up inside of him. What would Shiro think of him? There was no way that he could possibly accept Keith when he was still being used by the Galra. He’d realize that everything he’d been doing had been a mistake and would want to drop him off at the closest planet so that they’d have nothing to do with him.

“This asshole,” Matt snarled, grabbing ahold of the front of the commander’s suit and dragging him to his feet, “thought that it would be a good idea to follow Keith and try to start something.”

Shiro stopped in front of Keith and looked at where he was curled up on the floor, shaking and in obvious distress. “Keith?” he asked, gently, kneeling down in front of him.

Keith curled in on himself tighter, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in them.

“Keith, please look at me,” Shiro asked again.

“I’ll take care of this jerk,” Matt said, turning to leave. “You focus on getting Keith somewhere safe. I’ll get everyone else back to the main deck.”

“Right. Thanks Matt.”

“No problem.”

Shiro was quiet as Matt dragged the commander down the hallway and around the corner.

“Are you okay, Keith?”

He screwed his eyes shut and felt the first tears slip free. He hated this. He hated it so much. He just wanted to be able to live a nice life. He wanted to be able to move on and he wanted things to be okay for once, but that never seemed to work out in his favor.

“Why don’t we get you back to your room? I’m sure that you don’t want to stay here in the middle of the hallway where it’s uncomfortable. What do you say Keith?”

Keith bit his lip to keep himself from openly sobbing. Even now, Shiro wasn’t shoving him away. He was still there and still trying to help and Keith didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to handle it or if he could even accept the kindness that was being extended his way. Shiro should be pushing him away and telling him he was disgusting and deserved the treatment that he would’ve gotten if Matt hadn’t found him.

“I’m going to help you up now, okay? I’m going to take your arm and we’re going to stand and then I’ll walk you back to your room okay?”

Keith flinched when Shiro’s hands gently took hold of his shoulders.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise,” Shiro said, retracting his grip for the moment. “I’m just going to help you up, nothing more.”

Shiro’s hands returned to his shoulders. He was gentle and methodical as he helped Keith to come out of himself. Keith stared at the floor while Shiro helped him up. As soon as they were both standing, his hands fell away to his sides, leaving a chasm between them.

Keith felt so small in that moment. It almost seemed as though Shiro was towering over him and was lightyears ahead. Keith was nothing compared to him. He was scrawny and dwarfed by his clothes. He was weak and had no life ahead of him. He couldn’t do anything for himself. He couldn’t even defend himself when things got bad.

“I’m so sorry,” Shiro said and pulled him into a hug.

Keith hadn’t even realized that he’d started openly sobbing and had tears dripping down his face.

“I know that this must’ve been a shock and you didn’t deserve to have it happen to you. I should’ve been here. We all knew that the commander was bad, but that doesn’t mean we should’ve left you alone while he was on the ship. This is all my fault, I’m sorry.”

Keith shook his head fervently. Shiro pulled back and wiped the tears from Keith’s cheeks with his thumbs. Shiro smiled sadly at him.

“Come on. Let’s get you back to your room, okay? We’ll make sure that nothing happens to you while those Galra are still on this ship.”

Keith nodded and gripped Shiro’s hand tightly in his own before it could fall away. He was worried that the space between them would only continue to grow and that there would come a time when he’d never be able to reach out for him. Shiro smiled and squeezed his hand before turning and leading Keith back down the hallway.

The walk was agonizingly long. The hallways felt too large and each sound echoed too loudly. The sensations were overwhelming and Keith wanted nothing more than to mute it all. He wanted it to stop so that he could take a moment and not have to worry about anything.

When they reached the door to his room, Shiro let his hand fall away and Keith immediately began to feel his sense of panic rise.

“I’ll let you have some time alone. I’m sure that you don’t want to be around anyone right now,” Shiro said, turning to head back down the hallway.

Keith reached out quickly and took a step forward as his breathing picked up.

“Keith? What’s wrong?” Shiro asked, noticing his distress.

Keith shook his head and gripped his arm. He reached for his tablet because he needed to tell him, but found that he didn’t have it anymore. He shook his head again, grip tightening until his nails were digging into Shiro’s arm.

“Hey, hey,” Shiro said softly. He placed his hand over Keith’s and began to massage the tension away. “It’s okay, Keith. Nothing’s going to happen, I promise. What’s wrong? I won’t leave until I know what you’re thinking. Where’s your tablet?”

Keith shook his head.

“Okay, no tablet. It must still be back in that other hallway. You’re upset and worried. Do you not want to be alone?”

He shook his head again.

“Okay so you don’t want to be alone. Do you want to come back to the main deck?”

The thought of being around everyone made his stomach roll with anxiety. He shook his head frantically.

“Okay, okay, so no one else. You don’t want to be alone, but you don’t want everyone else around. That’s too many people, I guess. Do you want me to stay?”

Keith sighed and nodded.

“Okay. I can stay. I won’t leave you alone, okay? I won’t leave you alone.”

Keith leaned forward, exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the day. Shiro rubbed his hands over his arms and brought him close.

“Let’s go inside and you can lay down. I’m sure that you’re tired after everything that happened today,” Shiro murmured quietly. He reached forward and opened the door before leading Keith inside.


	8. Chapter 8

_Keith bit his lip to stop the whimper that wanted to spill out as pain and fire erupted on his cheek. Any sound that he made would only make things worse. The Galra that came wanted obedience. They weren’t to be angered. But there was nothing to do if they came in drunk and angry, breath smelling strongly of the hard liquor that they’d consumed before coming to the sex house._

_“That’s right,” he sneered, gripping Keith’s chin and forcing him to look in his eyes. “This is where you belong. You belong on your knees. You’re nothing. You belong to the Galra. Don’t you ever forget that, you hear me?”_

_Keith breathed shallowly. He ached everywhere, having already sustained blows to his arms and stomach. He sucked in a sharp breath when he was struck across his other cheek._

_“Don’t just stare at me, you dumb whore. Do you understand or not?” he growled._

_Keith nodded frantically, not daring to speak for fear that it would just anger him further._

_The Galra smirked. Keith had seen it so many times before. It was always the same pattern with these types. They came in after being reprimanded by their commanders or the higher ups. They needed a place to assert their dominance and power. And what better way to do that than to control someone who couldn’t talk back? Or could be beaten into place if they did?_

_“Good.” He shoved Keith to the floor violently. If he knew that nothing would be coming next, he would’ve let himself melt against the cool floor so that he could think and feel nothing._

_Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut at the sounds of the Galra shucking his clothes. Forceful hands grabbed onto his legs and flipped him onto his stomach…_

Keith nearly cried out at the hands that were holding him. He pulled and tugged, trying to free himself.

“Keith? Keith!”

His eyes flew open and he came face-to-face with Shiro who was gently gripping his forearms and searching his face. Keith was aware that he was shaking, his breaths coming out in ragged pants and mixed with soft whimpers that he wasn’t consciously making.

Shiro slowly let go of his arms and put space between them reluctantly. It was obvious that he wanted to provide comfort, but didn’t want to upset Keith further.

“You seemed to be having a nightmare. I wanted to make sure that you didn’t hurt yourself,” Shiro said softly, perching himself on the edge of Keith’s bed so there was plenty of space between them.

The memories from earlier came back: his mind going over what happened in the hallway and Matt coming to help him before the Galra Commander could do anything. Shiro had been right behind him and brought him back to his room before settling him down into bed insisting that he needed to get some rest.

Keith had been exhausted, but he hadn’t wanted to rest. Now, after being woken up from the throes of a nightmare, he felt even more exhausted than before.

“Here,” Shiro said shoving his tablet into his field of vision. “Matt brought it over while you were sleeping. All of the Galra have been placed in holding cells. They won’t be allowed out until we reach the planet where the Council will be waiting for them.”

Keith fiddled with the tablet in his hands and pulled up the word processor.

_Thank you_

Shiro shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me. Are you okay? Do you need anything else?”

_No. I just don’t want to be alone_

“Okay,” Shiro said. “You should try getting some more sleep. I’ll make sure that you aren’t disturbed.”

Keith shook his head and set his tablet on his lap so he could tug at the blanket that was surrounding him. He let out a breath before he tentatively moved closer to Shiro who stayed completely still and watched him with wide eyes.

“Keith?” he asked when there was only a couple of inches of space between them.

Keith bit his lip and moved his tablet to the side before gently letting his head fall onto Shiro’s shoulder.

“You’re not tired?” he asked, softly.

Keith shook his head. Where they were sitting wasn’t the most comfortable and neither of them had fully relaxed into a position, but it was a start. Keith wasn’t used to any form of pleasant intimacy. Hell, the hug that Shiro had given him earlier had been the first act of physical kindness that he’d experienced in he didn’t know how long.

“Keith are you sure you’re okay?!” Shiro asked, voice becoming panicked. “Why are you shaking?”

He blinked his eyes open and finally came back to himself enough to realize that he was shaking. He nodded and sat up to move further back on the bed, pulling a very reluctant Shiro. Shiro settled against the back wall, looking uneasy and tense, like he was about to sprint away if Keith showed even the smallest sign that this was something he didn’t want.

Keith carefully tucked his legs underneath himself and curled up back under Shiro’s arm. Shiro held him lightly even as he continued to shake. The weight was warm and comforting. Keith let out a ragged breath and turned his face into Shiro’s shoulder. Something inside his chest felt like it was cracking. There were fissures being forced open in everything that he’d known and forced apart by a new warmth.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, hesitant.

Keith slowly lifted his head so that he could meet Shiro’s eyes. Shiro brought up his other hand and gently cupped the side of his face.

The fissures in his chest exploded outward, but instead of bringing an end to everything that he was feeling, Keith felt strong and full and suddenly in control after everything that happened to him. He uncurled his fingers from the fabric of the suit he was wearing and mimicked Shiro’s movement, letting his fingers slide up into the short hairs of his undercut.

Shiro’s eyes widened at his actions and Keith took in how close they were. Strangely enough, he wasn’t afraid of their proximity. It was a comfort to have Shiro there with him. Shiro _was_ comforting.

Keith let his eyes slide shut as he tilted his head forward, bringing their lips together cautiously. He brushed them together a second time before letting his eyes flutter open. Shiro looked like he’d stopped breathing and Keith smiled, trying to reassure him without words.

“K-keith?” he forced out, voice hoarse.

Keith smiled and let his head fall against Shiro’s shoulder before curling into him. He reached for his tablet and typed on it slowly.

_Is this okay?_

Shiro didn’t answer right away and Keith fidgeted with his tablet, nerves becoming apparent as he wondered what Shiro was thinking. He hadn’t shoved him away or done anything to hurt him so he took that as a positive sign. He stilled when he felt Shiro’s arm come to rest around his waist.

He tilted his head back and looked up at Shiro who was watching him. His grip became more firm, but it wasn’t tight, serving to pull Keith closer, but not make him feel trapped and like he couldn’t move away.

“Yes,” he breathed. Shiro dipped his head, stopping just short of a kiss. His eyes bored into Keith’s, a question there. Him asking Keith if it was okay for him to be so forward and bold when so much of Keith had been taken without permission already.

Keith nodded. Just barely, but it was there. He was in awe of the feeling and intensity in Shiro’s gaze. Shiro closed the last remaining distance between them and brought their lips together.

The kiss was firm, but gentle. It made Keith feel dizzy and it wasn’t just because of the lack of air. Time and time again, he’d understood the meaning behind what kisses should be, but had never experienced one himself. If he had been kissed, it’d been forceful and purposeful. A show of power that had nothing to do with his own pleasure.

Shiro finally pulled back, giving Keith a moment to breathe and try to reorient himself. His world felt upended, but not in a bad way. Not like the first day he’d been brought to the Castle. He felt cared for, like everything was going to be okay and that anything was possible.

“Keith? You okay?”

Shiro placed his hands over one of Keith’s hands that was fisted in his vest. Keith opened and closed his mouth several times, just staring at the man beside him.

“Keith? You’re worrying me. Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?”

Keith shook his head quickly. Shiro rubbed soothing circles into the back of his hand, helping to loosen the tense muscles there.

“Was it too much?” Shiro asked, worry evident in his voice.

Keith shook his head again and made a grab for his tablet. He froze, fingers hovering over the letters, wondering just what he could say. He didn’t even know how to explain what he was feeling. He looked between Shiro and his tablet.

_I’m fine_

Shiro’s brow furrowed. “Okay?” he asked, not sounding reassured at all.

_I mean it. I’m fine_

Shiro nodded, still not looking convinced.

Keith felt frustration building inside of him.

_I_

He bit his lip and blew air through his nose. He jumped to his feet and started to pace around his room, aware of Shiro’s eyes on him the entire time.

“You seem like you want to be alone. I’ll leave you be. Sorry, if I made you uncomfortable.” Shiro cleared his throat and stood from his bed.

Keith’s frustration shifted to panic as Shiro turned his back on him and made for the door. He reached out, worried that there would be nothing to come back to if Shiro walked away now before he could explain. Before he even figured things out himself.

“Shrio-“ Keith rasped and froze, hand outstretched towards Shiro’s back.

Shiro turned slowly, eyes wide. “Keith?” he asked, slowly. “Did you just…talk?”

“I-“ he said and coughed a couple times. His mouth felt too full. The words awkward on his tongue as he made sounds and spoke words that hadn’t passed his lips in years.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Shiro said, hurrying over to him. “You don’t need to push yourself. Take your time. Here,” he said, darting over to the bed to pick up Keith’s tablet and bringing it over to him. “Use the tablet.”

Keith took a calming breath. His panic was ebbing away now that Shiro wasn’t on the verge of leaving.

_You didn’t do anything wrong._

He showed the words to Shiro and only after he nodded did he work on the next part.

_I’ve never been kissed like that. It was overwhelming. But not in a bad way._

Shiro read over his shoulder as he typed. He was grateful that he wouldn’t have to keep turning the tablet around and it would be less embarrassing to see Shiro’s reaction as he admitted some of the things that he’d been feeling.

_It was a lot to take in and I hadn’t been expecting any of this. I hadn’t considered it to be a possibility. Or a reality._

_What does it mean? What happens next?_

Keith bit his lip at those last two questions. That’s what it all boiled down to. This was where he’d learn whether he was worth keeping or if he would just be tossed aside again. He hadn’t even known that was what he’d been afraid of. The realization had hit him as quickly and unexpectedly as everything else.

“Keith…” Shiro said, softly, stepping in front of him and cupping his cheek to bring their gazes together. “I’m not going to just leave you. I don’t want to scare you, but…I want everything. Everything you’re willing to give me,” he quickly clarified. “I want to keep you safe. I want to make you feel safe. And comforted and anything else you may need.

“So…if you’re ready or you want to, I want to be with you. Romantically.”

Keith stared at Shiro, hands gripping the tablet in front of him tightly.

_I don’t know what I’m doing_

Shiro chuckled. “That’s okay. I don’t have much knowledge when it comes to this either, but we’re both pretty tough. I think that we’ll be okay just figuring it out as we go, don’t you?”

Keith smiled, reassured by Shiro’s words and the sincerity and conviction behind them.

_Okay_

“ _Shiro, please come to the main deck. We are approaching the planet and are preparing for landing_ ,” Coran’s voice interrupted over the intercom.

“Looks like that’s my cue,” he said with a chuckle. “Do you want to wait here or do you want to come with me?”

Keith thought it over for a moment. Staying in his room meant that he wouldn’t have to see the Galra, but he also didn’t want to live in fear anymore. He would have to face them sometime and with Shiro by his side, he felt like he could conquer anything and nothing would harm him.

_I’m coming with you_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while but I'm back! If you follow my other stories, you already know life got busy for me and I've only gotten back to writing a couple weeks ago. But I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Not sure how much you're going to love me after it though...
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith gripped Shiro’s fingers tightly between his own. He’d felt confident when he was still in his room and thought there was nothing that could get in his way as soon as he stepped through that door. But it almost felt like the world came crashing back down on his shoulders when he walked through the doorway even with Shiro next to him.

But he reminded himself he could only take it one step at a time and that each breath would keep him moving forward. Shiro’s steadiness helped him, too. He was a solid presence at his side and gave him the strength to return to the main deck where everyone else was.

Everyone, or it seemed like everyone, looked up as soon as they walked through the door to the main deck. Keith took a steadying breath and squeezed Shiro’s hand even tighter. He didn’t even think about letting go. He didn’t want to let go. Letting go meant being alone and he wasn’t ready to be alone again. He wasn’t going to force himself into solitude if he didn’t have to.

“Shiro, thanks for coming,” Allura said, stepping onto the main podium. “And Keith, I’m glad that you decided to join us. Are you feeling better?”

Keith flushed, but nodded.

“Wonderful,” she said, turning towards the screen. “We’re now in orbit. Coran, open hailing frequencies and let the counsel know that we’ve arrived and we require extra security to escort the Galra on our ship and another team to go over the Galra ship.”

Coran nodded and moved his hands over the computer controls.

“This is Castle Altea under the direction of Princess Allura and partner to Voltron. We’ve arrived for the intergalactic trial with a Galra ship. Several members of its crew are in the holdings of our ship. They require a security escort to the trial proceedings. We also request an investigation team to look over the ship that we have in tow.”

_“Castle Altea, we have received your hailing and will send the required teams your way. The council is waiting for your attendance in the central meeting hall and are ready to begin the proceedings immediately. Channels are open for transport. Please lower your shields so security may be beamed up now.”_

Coran hit another button. “Channels open. Awaiting the arrival of security.”

_“Understood. Security team is on its way.”_

Immediately after Coran closed the frequency, a group began to materialize on the deck. They came into being and stood tall.

“Thank you for coming,” Allura said, greeting them with a small bow. “I’ll escort you to the Galra in our holdings. Shiro, take Pidge and Matt down to the planet and await my arrival.”

“Understood, Princess,” he said.

Keith watched as Allura led them off the main deck and turned the corner of the hallway.

“Coran will you beam us down to the planet?” Shiro asked as he stepped up next to Matt and Pidge.

“Right away. Beginning beam now, stay as still as possible.”

Keith kept his grip tight on Shiro’s hand. The feeling of being transported was strange, his body tingling even as the room around him shimmered out of existence. There was blackness for a minute before light began to materialize around them and they came to rest in a startlingly white room. Large columns stretched above their heads and a member of the Crealion race bowed to them.

“Welcome to our planet, Paladins of Voltron. The court room is waiting for you and I have been instructed to bring you there. If you would follow me this way,” they said, holding their hand out towards the door.

They turned and their group fell into step behind them. Keith looked around himself, transfixed by the new building and the people surrounding them. Everywhere he looked, Keith could see workers hurrying past, piles of papers or tablets clutched in their hands. One even had a cup of coffee in each of their nine hands as they dodged the other workers and was no doubt headed to a large office down the back of some hallway.

“You doing okay?” Shiro whispered softly, mindful of the people around them.

Keith nodded and squeezed Shiro’s hand.

“It’s not too much is it?”

He shook his head and gave Shiro a smile before his gaze returned to inspecting the area around them.

Keith appreciated how brightly lit everything was. It was open and welcoming and it almost felt like the central star’s rays were emanating from everything around them rather than cutting through the atmosphere above them to reach the surface of the planet.

As large as the space was, it comforted Keith in a way. He didn’t feel threatened by the people around him and maybe that was because he wasn’t being forced into something entirely new. He had Shiro next to him and was surrounded by people he knew were safe. He wasn’t on his own. It made him feel comfortable.

Finally, they turned down a hallway and their guide held the door open to them.

“Below you’ll find the benches were those in audience of a trial view the proceedings. The witnesses will be along shortly and so will your leader which will allow the council to open up the discussion. Please make yourself comfortable.”

They walked through the door and found several rows of seats angling down below them towards a circular area where those on trial were placed during the proceedings. There was a large array of high-backed chairs and desks where the members of the council were already waiting. They didn’t look up at their approach, no doubt waiting for the witnesses so the trial could begin.

Matt led their group down to one of the first rows. He and Pidge sat next to each other while Shiro and Keith took the seats behind them. The doors behind them opened again and they turned, watching as Lance and Hunk made their way down the steps to join them.

“Hey guys,” Lance said, sitting down behind Shiro and Keith with Hunk.

“How did things go on the ship?” Shiro asked, looking over his shoulder.

Lance shrugged. “Nothing we couldn’t handle. Anyone left on the ship was pretty compliant and we got things taken care of especially-“ He glanced at Keith. “Especially with what was in the hold.”

“Good to hear,” he said. “If you’re here, that means Allura must be close with the ship’s command.”

“We passed them in the hallway,” Hunk supplied. “The crew’s information was being taken down for the temporary arrest warrants so the council knows who they’re addressing.”

Shiro opened his mouth to respond when the double doors at the bottom of the hall opened and the crew was directed inside. The commander glanced up at Keith who squeezed Shiro’s hand to keep from flinching from the gaze. He had a feeling that if he was allowed to walk free after this trial, he’d stop at nothing to track down Keith and get him alone.

The head of the council banged their gavel three times. “I would like to formally open the current proceedings of the Intergalactic Council. This group of Galra were brought in by Princess Allura and the Paladins of Voltron when they were found to be attempting to attack the alliance strongholds even now that the war is over. Additional charges have been brought to the council’s attention and are as follows: an attack on one of the crewmembers of Castle Altea and for transporting illegal cargo in the form of slaves with the intent of using them to establish a sex house.”

The head councilmember continued to talk, but everything they said was background to the echoes that ravaged the inside of Keith’s skull. His attention zeroed in on the fact this Galra was moving sex slaves. His mind tripped over the treatment they faced at the hands of the crew. They were probably abused and forced into submissive positions just so they could eat. If they hadn’t found the ship and stopped them…

And the Paladins had known about it. _Shiro_ had known about it and hadn’t told him. Keith let Shiro’s hand fall from his, catching his attention.

“Keith?” he whispered, turning to him. “Is something wrong?”

Keith stared at him, unable to comprehend that Shiro had kept that from him. He could’ve helped. He could’ve talked to the prisoners and told them that everything was going to be okay. But he wasn’t given the chance. He had no idea what transpired on that ship after the command had been brought to the Castle.

And it angered him.

He pushed out of his chair and stalked towards the door. He didn’t need to know how the rest of the trial was going to go. He didn’t want to know. He just wanted the Galra responsible behind bars. Or dead.

He heard Shiro scramble after him, but ignored him as he slipped through the double doors to the courtroom. He didn’t know where he was going in the large hall, but that didn’t matter.

“Keith! Keith, wait, what’s wrong?” Shiro called after him.

Keith whirled and found Shiro’s hand hanging in the space between them.

“You knew,” he croaked.

Shiro dropped his hand and looked at him, confused. “Can you be a little more specific?”

“You knew about the ship.” He coughed, mouth feeling too full again. He had his tablet with him, but he didn’t want to use it. He didn’t think it would convey his anger properly. “You knew about the prisoners.”

He hated how soft his voice sounded. He wanted to scream and yell. He wanted to fill up the air and the crevices around him with his voice. He wanted people to know he wouldn’t just sit down and take anything they tried to throw at him. Not anymore.

Shiro nodded. “I did, yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me there were people on that ship like me?”

“I didn’t want to upset you,” Shiro said, stepping towards him.

Keith retreated, wanting to keep the distance between them. “Well you did a great job with that!” he scoffed. “I could’ve helped them. I could’ve talked to them!”

He gripped at his hair and growled in frustration. “I could’ve given them something I didn’t have when I came out of that house!”

“But you did have someone. You had the Paladins. You had me,” Shiro pleaded.

“But you don’t know what it’s like!” he cried and immediately delved into a coughing fit. He held up his hand to stop Shiro from coming towards him until the fit subsided. “You didn’t live through any of that. You’ve been talking to me about how I can learn to fight and help you protect the rest of the universe. But what about those people on the ship? Even with Lance and Hunk on the ship, they didn’t have anyone.”

Shiro stared at him and sighed. “I’m sorry, Keith. I wanted to protect you. I guess I didn’t realize how that could negatively affect you and go against what you want. Can you forgive me?”

Keith shrugged. He wanted to. The word ‘yes’ was already clawing up his throat. But…for so long he’d learned that he couldn’t trust people and if they turned on you once, they would turn on you again. “I…don’t know.”

Shiro nodded. Keith could see the pain in his eyes as he understood the reality of the situation. “I’m sorry.”

“Go back to the trial. I need some time to think,” Keith whispered, his voice finally failing him.

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked. “Do you know where you’re-“

“I’ll be fine. Please. I’ve got my tablet. If I need help, you’ll know.”

Shiro opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it before nodding. He slowly turned his back on Keith and walked back to the double doors. Keith felt some of the tension ease out of his shoulders once he was finally alone. The harshness of his anger subsided, but a dull blaze remained in his heart. He needed to think. Luckily, he had a whole planet to lose himself in.

Keith let himself walk. He didn’t know where he was going, he just knew he needed to move. It didn’t take long for him to find the front entrance of the building and push through the large double doors. Stepping outside almost didn’t feel like he was leaving a building. The white marble of the interior government building reflected light as brightly as their central star.

The only difference was the warmth that came from the star’s rays. He turned his face towards the sky and closed his eyes, feeling the light on his face. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d experienced something so safe. Even though he’d been free of the sex house for a few days, being on the Castle wasn’t like this.

It was a different kind of freedom. One that he could get used to.

Keith hurried down the steps of the building and saw a park nearby. There were a few people milling about, but for the most part it was empty. He wasn’t sure of the customs here. It might have been a work day where a majority of people were still in their businesses and their children in school. There was no telling, but he hadn’t come here to socialize with the locals.

He found an empty bench and sat down on it. The initial warmth and happiness that he’d felt after leaving the building behind began to fade as the reason for his retreat came back to him. He didn’t feel guilty over his feelings. For the most part, he thought they were justified.

Shiro had told him that nothing was going to be taken from him now that he was freed of the constraints of his past. But he was wrong. He’d taken an opportunity from Keith. He’d taken his ability to help other people who’d suffered like he had. He’d taken away the role that Shiro had held for him. And now there was no way he could help the people on those ship. They were gone from him forever.

He could acknowledge that Shiro hadn’t known it was an opportunity he’d wanted and that he was trying to protect him. But that didn’t mean he had the right to keep him from everything that he thought might upset him. Life wasn’t going to be perfect for him. He knew that. Things would never be the same.

But he could get stronger. Shiro had told him he could learn how to fight and that he could help them as they defended the universe. But this made Keith doubt him. If he really believed those things he’d said, he wouldn’t have kept this from him. He would’ve trusted him to handle anything that upset him or stressed him.

Keith sighed. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle this situation. He wanted things to be okay between him and Shiro, but if this had happened once, what was going to stop it from happening again?

“Keith?”

He startled, looking over his shoulder to find Coran watching him.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, walking over to the bench.

Keith pulled out his tablet and started typing.

_I didn’t want to stay for the court ruling after learning about the slaves on the ship._

Coran nodded. “Ahh, I was wondering how you were going to feel about that. I only found out recently, myself,” he said, twirling his moustache.

_I don’t understand why nobody told me about them._

Coran sighed and sat down next to him. “I think they were trying to protect you. They didn’t want you to have a bad reaction over it.”

_Well of course I was going to react badly. Those people shouldn’t have faced the things they did._

He shrugged. “That’s true. I think they didn’t want you isolating yourself because of it though. Would you have wanted to see them?”

Keith nodded quickly.

_I feel like I could’ve helped them. They would’ve had someone to talk to who understood their situation. They wouldn’t have been left alone, not knowing if Lance and Hunk were going to hurt them. Not knowing if things were going to change because of them. I know what they would’ve felt. I could’ve helped._

Coran nodded. “I think we’re all at fault for not recognizing that. We all wanted to protect you, but didn’t realize that this was an opportunity for you to become stronger and help us in your own way.”

_Thank you. I’m glad someone understands that._

“Say,” Coran said, grinning. “Would you like to go and talk to the people from the ship?”

_Really?_

“Of course! I just got back from getting them settled under the watch of the rehabilitation services here. I’m sure they’d be more than willing to speak with you.”

Keith nodded and jumped to his feet, looking back at Coran expectantly. Coran laughed and directed Keith back towards the way he came. They left the park behind and walked past the government building towards a similar one with a large white façade. Keith thought he was going to be met with a similar building as the one where the council met, but it was different.

Rather than having everything made of white marble, every surface was a pastel green. The light was a dim yellow that kept the eyes from straining as they took in their surroundings. Keith immediately felt his mind relax and was comforted by his surroundings.

“Hello again,” Coran said, greeting the front desk worker. “We’ve just come to pay a visit with the group I’ve dropped off. Are they still in the community room?”

“Yes, please proceed through the door on the right and walk towards the end of the hallway. They’re having their information recorded and will be taken to their initial counseling sessions before being settled in. You are welcome to interact with them in the room only. Please follow all instructions given by the staff here.”

“Wonderful!” Coran said, brightly.

Keith followed him through the double doors and down the hallway. He took a hesitant breath before stepping through the doors Coran held for him and coming face-to-face with a large group of people who reflected who he’d been mere days ago.


	10. Chapter 10

A few of the prisoners froze at their entrance and stared. One of them in the back perked up and hurried over to Coran.

“Coran, you’ve returned!” she greeted far more cheerfully than Keith would’ve expected any of them would’ve been capable of.

“I have,” he said, patting her hand where it came to rest on his arm. “I didn’t think I would be back soon, but I’ve brought someone who’s interested in meeting all of you.”

Her brow furrowed and she glanced to the side looking at Keith.

“This is Keith,” he introduced. “A few days ago we rescued him from a sex house and he wanted to speak to anyone who might be seeking comfort or an understanding ear.”

She blinked at Keith, surprised. “You were rescued from a sex house?” she asked.

Keith held his tablet close in his arms and nodded, self-conscious.

“But how did you manage to escape? I thought anyone who became embroiled in sex houses rarely made it out alive.”

Keith tapped away at his tablet and showed her his answer.

_I was rescued by the Paladins of Voltron. They liberated the sex house and freed all of the slaves, bringing the Galra to trial for their crimes. I was allowed to stay on the ship while the other prisoners were left to continue their lives on a separate planet._

She glanced between the tablet and Keith’s face before looking back down at the tablet. “I don’t meant to be rude,” she said, stepping towards him. “But is there a reason you don’t talk?”

Keith smiled.

_I stopped talking in the sex house years ago. I was worried that anything I said might be grounds for punishment so learned it was better to not talk at all since the patrons weren’t looking for conversation and just wanted a warm body to use and abuse. It’s only been recently that I’ve started talking again, but my voice is so weak that I can’t talk for long periods of time._

She nodded sadly. “I think you should come meet Alade. She doesn’t talk much either. I think for the same reasons as you. It’s hard to get her to open up sometimes. Would you like to meet her?”

Keith nodded, smile pulling at his lips. She took his hand and pulled him towards the group.

“My name is Saline by the way.”

A few of them had already taken notice of him and were watching with mixtures of interest and trepidation.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Keith. Coran brought him to introduce to us. He used to be enslaved at a sex house.”

Keith waved at them. A few, the ones who didn’t seem to be so disillusioned or have an empty look in their eyes, waved back.

_I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to come meet you sooner. I would’ve liked to talk to you and make you comfortable as we travelled to this planet._

He showed the tablet around to the group.

“Keith doesn’t talk much,” Saline offered. “He uses this to communicate while he builds up the strength of his voice again.”

A few of the people around him nodded.

_How long were you trapped on that ship?_

“We all got taken at different times,” someone else offered, softly. “But none of us had been with the Galra more than a few weeks.”

Keith suppressed a wince. Even though a few weeks didn’t seem like a long time, a lot could happen in the span of so many days.

_I’m sorry._

They shook their head and smiled.

_None of you should’ve had to endure that kind of treatment._

Sad smiles were shared around the group.

“When-“ a younger man started, but then fell back, embarrassed. Keith smiled at him and nodded, trying to be encouraging. “When were you taken by the Galra?” he asked.

_Since I was little. I think I might’ve been born there in the house actually because it’s pretty much all I can remember. My mom was enslaved there and when they thought I was old enough, they put me to work too. My mom tried to keep them from forcing me into rooms with strange men, but by that time she was sick and could hardly work herself. I basically had to entertain customers to make sure we were both fed._

“Oh,” he said. Sad looks were exchanged between everyone.

_I’m learning to heal from it. It’s been a slow process, but I’ve had some really great people around me. I hope all of you will be able to move on with your lives, too. Know that anything that happened to you wasn’t your fault and there are people who care about you._

“But what can we do?” the same young man asked. He moved forward, reaching out towards Keith. Keith caught his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting it go to type.

_What do you want to do?_

He looked at all of the people who were around him.

_If you have a dream or something you want to accomplish you should look towards that. Don’t give up on yourselves. Recognize the experience you had, but that experience does not define you. I know that you are all strong and capable people._

“It’s hard,” a young woman, Keith was even hesitant to call her a woman, she looked no older than a teenager, whispered. “I feel like there’s this darkness surrounding me and that whoever looks at me is going to see everything that’s wrong. They’re going to know my flaws and what I went through.”

Someone else nodded along. “Yeah. I feel like they’re going to see everything wrong with me and suffering at the hands of the Galra is going to leave me judged and abandoned by others.”

Keith bit his lip.

_I’m sorry. I understand how you feel. But they don’t know you and they don’t know your past or your experiences. There are going to be people who judge you, there’s nothing that can change that. But they can judge all they want because there’s no denying how strong all of you are. You’re survivors and there’s nothing that will take that away from you._

“How?” Keith blinked and looked around, searching for who’d spoken. The crowd parted and a short-statured girl came through. “How can we ever be more than what they’re reduced us to?”

“Alade,” Saline said quietly.

Keith looked at her more closely. She had bags under her eyes and was hunched in on herself. Her gaze was dulled and her hands clutched at the clothes that were wrapped around her, too big for her narrow frame. Her voice was soft and quiet, nothing like Keith’s, but it was evident that she had stopped speaking frequently some time during the past weeks.

Keith turned to type on his tablet, but then thought better of it. He wrapped his hands around the edge and held it tightly in his lap.

“Because you’re free,” he croaked. “You will always be more than they reduced you, too. You can use what you’ve learned and the skills you’ve gathered to live. It might not seem like it right now, but I’ve found a group of people who care about me. They want to keep me safe…” he trailed off and swallowed. “They want to keep me safe. Sometimes that means not understanding the things that I want and keeping things I want to know from me, but they do care.”

He looked at the people around him and saw he’d caught their attention. Alade didn’t look entirely convinced, but he knew that she wasn’t in the best place since he saw so much of who he used to be reflected back at him.

“Right now you have each other to lean on. You know what happened and you can draw comfort from your own community. No one else has to know. You’re never obligated to answer their questions if you don’t want to.”

Alade still didn’t look convinced, but the expressions of the people around him softened.

“Hello everyone,” a staff member said, interrupting their group. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we’re going to begin our counseling sessions. You’re welcome to go alone or pair up if that would make you more comfortable, but our counselors and therapists are waiting in their offices. Your guests are going to need to leave now that we’re moving on so please say your goodbyes. After your counseling sessions we can discuss rooming options and how to make your stay here as welcoming as possible and what will fit your needs.”

Keith nodded and looked around at the people around him. Even though he’d only known them for a short period of time, he was saddened he was going to have to leave them so soon. They would be moving on with their lives and he would continue with his.

Several of the people around him gave him a smile, before pushing themselves to their feet. Keith took offered hands and indulged in handshakes or having his hands gripped tightly. A few moved off alone while others stuck closely to people who Keith assumed were their friends, or those they’d found as a source of solace during their imprisonment.

Soon enough he was left alone facing Alade. She watched him, eyes guarded, posture angled away from him.

“You’ve seen the same things I have,” Keith whispered.

She shrugged. “Not for as long as you have,” she conceded.

“But longer than the rest of them have.”

Her eyes roved over Keith until she nodded.

“Alade, we need you to come along to your first counseling session, please.”

Keith glanced at the staff member who’d stepped up next to them, before he looked back at Alade who was still watching him.

“Could we have just one more minute?” Keith asked.

The staff looked between them, but nodded at Keith before backing away.

“You wanted to ask me something else didn’t you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Yes.”

He nodded.

“Why are you letting yourself trust again?”

Keith blinked. “Because…because someone proved to me they could be trusted. They kept their distance while showing me they cared for my well-being. Even now…when they kept something from me, they thought they were protecting me. I learned he isn’t perfect and he does make mistakes. But the difference is that he was thinking of me. He wasn’t doing anything to hurt me as angry as I was because of it. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust everyone again, but I have people who I can trust when I used to have no one.”

She stared at him, eyes darting around his face. She nodded once before ducking her head, eyes scanning the room before she moved away. Keith turned and watched her walk over to the staff member who was waiting for her. She kept her distance from them and they didn’t try to reach out. Keith was glad they weren’t trying to force her. He knew that wouldn’t end will. It didn’t for him in the beginning when he was surrounded by uncertainty and trying to force himself to move forward.

He watched her walk away and knew that this would probably be the last time he ever saw her. Despite the sadness that tugged at his heart at the lost connection and opportunity, he was glad for the short time he had with all of them. His throat tightened and he fought against the tears that wanted to claw up his throat. He let out a heavy breath and watched the last few people walk out of the room.

Keith tightened his grip on his tablet and turned, stopping short when his gaze landed on Coran and behind Coran, Shiro, Matt, Pidge, Lance, and Hunk. He stared at them. Coran offered a smile, but the others did nothing. He sucked in a breath and took a step forward and then another, slowing closing the distance between himself and the group until he was a few feet away.

Shiro made to step forward but Lance put a hand on his shoulder. Shiro lowered his gaze to the floor, shoulders sagging. Keith typed on his tablet. Talking would’ve been easier, but between his argument with Shiro and talking with the large group of people, nothing else would’ve come out.

_I know you were trying to protect me and didn’t want to cause me any discomfort so soon, but you kept something important from me._

They nodded at him.

“We’re sorry Keith,” Lance offered. “We made a mistake that hurt you deeply and we want to fix that.”

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed. “But you’re amazing, Keith and we’d really like to keep you on our team.”

The others nodded their agreement.

_This won’t happen again._

He didn’t bother framing it as a question because it wasn’t a question. He was giving them another chance this time, but he wouldn’t again. He wasn’t going to hope for things to change when they needed to change and stay that way.

All of them nodded, expressions serious.

“Now that that is settled,” Coran broke in gently. “I think it’s about time we return to the Castle. Our job is still a large one and sadly does not offer much of a reprieve.”

The group walked back through the hallways towards the exit. Keith hung back next to Coran and watched the others as they strode ahead.

“You know,” Coran whispered to Keith. “They told me that the trial was a success and the Galra from that ship have been imprisoned for life. Sometimes there are exceptions if there is good behavior, but that is unlikely in their case because of the Commander’s attack on you.”

Keith nodded. He felt a sense of relief and something else. It felt right. Justified. Like what happened was what needed to happen. He didn’t know how many other sex houses like the one he was trapped in still existed in the universe, but he knew they needed to be stopped and if the Intergalactic Council had already ruled on this matter, he knew there wouldn’t be any way for other Galra committing similar offenses to get out of being punished for their crimes.

He wanted to help free the people still suffering at the hands of the Galra and he knew he could do it.

Keith almost mourned the loss of the soft green walls of the center when they left it behind. It had been soothing and as much as he appreciated being able to feel the center star’s rays on his skin, he still felt the urge to stay wrapped in something so soft and comforting. But he had to move on and they needed to return to the Castle.

Princess Allura was waiting in the main corridor of the Council hall for them. She nodded as they returned and gathered in a circle around her.

“I’m glad to see you’re all back safely. As much as we all enjoy getting to be on this planet, it’s time for us to go. We have the rest of the universe to protect,” she said.

The Paladins nodded and Keith stilled as the air turned fuzzy around him before disappearing and depositing him back on the main deck of the Castle.

“I’m going to set a return course to the quadrant we just left so we can continue our work there. The rest of you are free to stay here or return to your normal activities in the Castle,” Allura continued as she and Coran got to work.

Shiro turned and looked at Keith and he jerked his head towards the door, telling Shiro to follow him so they could have the conversation they needed to have.

He heard Shiro’s footsteps behind him and made his way to the large windows that looked out to the stars and planets beyond. He turned from the window and stood facing Shiro.

“I’m sorry, Keith,” he started, but Keith held up a hand.

_You can be sorry all you want, but I need something more than another simple apology._

“You have every right to be angry at me. You made it perfectly clear yourself that I went against what you wanted. You had gotten comfortable enough to trust me and I betrayed that trust because I couldn’t trust you enough to be able to handle what was going on in that ship.”

_How long did it take you to come to that realization?_

Shiro smiled and shook his head. “Too long. I was thinking about it the whole time during the proceedings, but I didn’t really understand it until we got to the center and I saw you talking with the people we rescued. I could see how important it was for you and finally recognized what I not only deprived you of, but what I deprived them of, too.

“I know you don’t want me to keep saying sorry, but I am sorry. I screwed up and I take full responsibility. You’ve gotten this far in life and you’re strong enough to handle what comes your way even if my big head thinks that I know better. It’s not worth it to keep you in the dark.”

Keith tried not to smile when Shiro called himself big-headed, but he couldn’t stop the twitch of his lips.

_I accept your apology. But you still have to make it up to me._

Shiro looked relieved. “Anything. I’ll do anything you want.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. His request was going to put Shiro in a position to prove to Keith he meant what he’d just said.

_You’re going to teach me to fight. And we’re going to spar._

Shiro furrowed his brow and looked between the screen and Keith.

“I-uh…you sure?” he asked.

Keith narrowed his eyes and nodded, waiting.

Shiro nodded once and squared his shoulders. “Okay. Let’s go.”


	11. Chapter 11

Keith looked around the wide training room he’d found himself in once before.

“You can leave your tablet on the bench over there,” Shiro said, pointing to the wall.

Keith walked over to it and set his tablet down, before turning to look around the room again.

“Activate stationary training equipment,” Shiro called out.

Keith watched as several bags and dummies materialized on the floor. So that was how it worked.

“Okay,” Shiro said, beckoning Keith over to one of the stationary bags. “We’re going to start with basic positioning and movements before you try and hit anything. Stand with your feet apart like this,” he said, getting into position.

Keith did his best to mimic him.

Shiro nodded. “You look good for the most part. We can just make a few adjustments here,” he said, gently moving Keith’s shoulders and hands. “Try and feel how your weight is distributed and memorize that feeling.” Keith nodded. “Step out of your stance for me and then get back into it. See if you can position yourself exactly as you had been.”

Keith nodded and followed his instructions. He frowned and adjusted his shoulders, making Shiro smile.

“That’s it. You’re already recognizing your own body movements. That’s really good, Keith. When you fight, it’s super important to recognize your own movements and how you take up space. It’ll help you recognize where you can move and what hits would be most effective.”

Keith nodded and smiled.

“Step up to this bag for me in the same stance you were in.” Shiro got into position next to him. “We’re going to start with some simple punches. Now when you punch, you’re going to want to twist your wrist so your knuckles run parallel to the floor, like that,” Shiro said, adjusting Keith’s hand a little further. Keith mimicked the motion a few times making Shiro smile. “Great. Now try throwing a punch at the bag,” Shiro said, hitting the one in front of him.

Keith’s movement was slower, but the thump of his fist hitting the bag was satisfying. He did it again.

“Try making it faster,” Shiro said, hitting his bag rapidly three times. Keith tried to match his pace, but his last punch was slower. He tried again, feeling the movements becoming more natural and easier. “Use your other hand,” Shiro said, changing his movements.

Keith did and laughed soundlessly, excitement building. The earlier tension between them was starting to fully dissipate and Keith was relieved. He didn’t like what had happened, but he liked it even less for driving a wedge between them.

“Okay,” Shiro said, stopping him. Keith’s breathing was coming a little faster from the exertion, but he didn’t mind. “Let’s try some kicks. What you’re going to do is keep the weight on your front foot and swing your back foot forward. Keep it low at first so it only hits the bottom of the bag,” he instructed, going through the movement slowly.

Keith mimicked him, being mindful of his balance as he got used to the movement, putting more power behind each kick.

“That’s really good, Keith. You’re a pretty fast learner,” he said, scratching his cheek.

Keith grinned even as he felt his cheeks heat up.

“Now try swinging your leg around like this for a roundhouse,” Shiro said, kicking up above his hip.

Keith nodded and copied the motion, feeling a little wobbly as his weight shifted. Shiro placed a hand on his back and nodded.

“Try again.”

He felt more steady the second time, satisfied when the top of his foot made contact with the bag.

“Great! Let’s keep going…”

~~

Keith wiped the sweat from his forehead and took the water pouch Shiro held out with a grateful smile. He took a deep sip, sighing at the cool liquid. His body wasn’t aching yet, but his muscles were tired and he was covered in sweat. He felt good after the workout.

“You’re looking really good there, Keith. You’ll be a pro in no time,” Shiro said with a smile, sitting cross-legged across from him.

Keith grinned and held up his arms, flexing his practically non-existent muscles.

Shiro chuckled lightly before it trailed off. “Still though…you’re so tiny.”

Keith shrugged and fiddled with the straw of his drink. He knew he was. Years of malnourishment would do that to a person. He knew he was improving even after so little time. He wasn’t even close to filling out the suit he’d been given, but he had more energy and knew that he’d soon start filling out the way he should’ve years ago.

He placed a hand over his stomach and felt hunger starting to gnaw at his stomach.

“You hungry?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded and pushed himself to his feet.

“End stationary training equipment,” Shiro called. Keith watched as the punching bags and other mats disappeared, leaving the space as open and as clean as it had been before. Keith grabbed his tablet from the bench and walked out into the hallway with Shiro, turning towards the kitchen.

Keith spied Shiro’s hand hanging at his side and he maneuvered his tablet and drink pouch into one hand, grabbing Shiro’s free hand with his and twining their fingers together. Shiro’s hand flexed in his grip and he looked down at their fingers before curling his fingers over Keith’s hand and giving a light squeeze.

Keith smiled, feeling his face heat up. He tried to take a sip from his drink to hide it, but knew he could do nothing to mask his pleased expression. He peeked up at Shiro and saw a bright dusting of red on his cheeks, making Keith smirk. Seeing Shiro flustered was something he could appreciate. And maybe make happen more often.

The door to the kitchen slid open. Hunk had an array of plates on the counter and was whistling to himself as he worked. He had an apron on with a few splatters of colorful goo on it.

“Hey Hunk,” Shiro greeted.

He stopped whistling and looked over his shoulder, grinning when he caught sight of them. “Hey,” he said with a wave. “Come for some food?”

“You bet,” Shiro said. “What’s all this?” he asked, pointing to the rows of dishes on the counter.

“This,” Hunk said with a grand wave, “is the new array of experimental dishes I’m working on. Care for a taste test?”

Shiro raised an eyebrow at Keith who shrugged. “Sure why not.”

“Take a seat,” Hunk said, pulling open a drawer. “I’ll grab some spoons for you.”

Keith slid onto one of the available stools and set his tablet to the side. Shiro sat on the stool next to him and their eyes roved over the dishes.

“Here you go,” Hunk said, holding out a spoon to each of them. “Taste whatever you like. Let me know which ones are your favorites and which ones are bad so I know what to keep or what might need to be tweaked.”

Keith nodded and scooped up a small bite of bright blue goo with his spoon. He looked at it for a moment before taking an experimental bite. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was so hungry or Hunk was really make in the kitchen, but it was one of the best things he’d ever tasted in his life. He sighed and practically melted into his seat.

“Good?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded and scooped up another spoonful. Shiro reached out and took his own bite and grinned. When he reached for more, Keith slid the bowl out of his reach. Shiro pouted and tried to stretch his arm further to reach the food, but Keith pushed it further away.

“Keith,” Shiro whined. “Please?” he pleaded.

Keith huffed and straightened, bringing the bowl closer, but when Shiro tried to scoop up more goo he slid the bowl out of his reach again. Shiro groaned and let his head fall onto the countertop. Keith snickered and slid off his stool so he could eat the food at a safe distance. Shiro pouted and turned to the other bowls, picking up one that was a deep purple.

He took a careful bite and made a face. “Hey, Hunk?”

“Yeah?” he asked, not turning around.

“I think this purple one needs some work. It’s kind of bitter. And not in a good way.”

Hunk turned to see which one Shiro was talking about. “Crap,” he said, taking the bowl from Shiro’s hand. “I thought this was actually going to be one of the good ones.” He sighed and pulled out a spoon taking a careful bite. He made a face and dumped the goo into the trash, making a note on a screen that was hovering over the counter. “Okay, yeah I see what you mean with that one.”

“Keith really likes that one,” Shiro said, pointing at where Keith was still spooning goo into his mouth happily.

Hunk grinned. “Nice. I’ll make sure to make that one often then.”

“Could you make some more now?” Shiro whispered. “I’d like to eat some, too.”

Hunk snickered and pat Shiro on the back. “No can do. I need the rest of these sampled so get to work.”

Shiro sagged in his seat and turned towards a lavender-colored goo. He scooped up a dollop and stuffed it into his mouth, brightening at the taste.

“This one’s good, Hunk,” he said around the spoon in his mouth.

Hunk peered into the bowl he was talking about. “Oh yeah, it should be. That’s the one I’ve been working on for ages. I never thought I’d get it right, but I finally have. I’m going to unveil it at dinner tonight. So I hope you like it enough to eat more of it.”

Shiro nodded. “It’s great, Hunk.”

Movement in Shiro’s eye caught his attention and he turned to find Keith sliding back onto the stool next to him. The bowl of goo he’d been eating was now empty and he handed it to Hunk who took it with a smile.

“Good?” he asked.

Keith nodded, grin pulling at his lips in a way that made Shiro swallow thickly. Keith looked relaxed and happy. Something so different from mere days ago.

Keith was oblivious to the attention and reached for another bowl of goo instead, one that was pale yellow. He stuck his spoon into it and took a bite, not making a face at it, but not being excited about the food. Hunk raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, holding out the bowl. Hunk dipped a spoon into it and took a bite. He smacked his lips together and let out a sigh.

“I see what you mean, Ketih,” he said, taking the bowl. “That one is definitely missing something.”

“Woah, is there a party going on in the kitchen and no one thought to invite _moi_?”

Hunk snickered. “Grab a spoon, Lance. Keith and Shiro are testing out my new food goo recipes. You might want to hurry though, I think Keith is going to eat all the good ones.”

They turned to look at Keith who had the bowl of lavender goo in his hands and was rapidly eating it.

“Keith!” Shiro exclaimed, looking down at the counter where the bowl had been resting in front of him.

He stuck out his tongue at Shiro, earning him a pout. Lance chuckled and slid around the counter next to Hunk.

“Keith’s sure eating a lot more,” Lance whispered to Hunk.

He nodded. “Believe it or not that’s actually the second bowl he’s working through. I was a little surprised, but it’s good for him.”

Lance nodded. “And he seems to be getting along just fine with Shiro.”

“I think everything from this morning has cleared the air. For now, at least. But I don’t think it could get worse as long as Shiro keeps on his promise with Keith.”

“You think that’s going to be a problem?” Lance asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hunk eyed the look Shiro was giving Keith and how relaxed they were together. “Not at all,” Hunk said, turning to fiddle with the settings so he could improve the pale yellow goo.

~~

Keith stared out the window and watched the stars pass by. His legs were stretched out in front of him and his tablet was resting next to his hip. He’d snuck away after lunch to have some time to himself. His arms draped loosely around his waist while his fingers played with the loose edges of the suit he was wearing.

“Keith?”

He rolled his head to the side and found Shiro standing a few feet away. He smiled and moved to sit up but Shiro shook his head.

“Don’t get up on my account,” he said, walking over to him.

Keith ducked his head to hide a smile when Shiro placed a warm hand on his back and dropped a kiss on the top of his head. He leaned against Shiro’s side, his arm coming to wrap around his shoulders.

They stayed there for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence and watching the stars go by. Keith shifted, pulling away so he could swing his legs over the side of the windowsill. He pulled on Shiro’s arm until he fell onto the seat next to him. Keith smacked his arm and Shiro bumped his shoulder against his.

Shiro smiled down at him and Keith leaned his head on his shoulder.

They heard the steps before anyone appeared. Keith perked up, wondering who needed to run to find them and Shiro frowned, staring towards the hallway. Matt rounded the corner and came to a stop inside the doorway.

“Shiro…” he said, lips pulling into a wide grin.

“What’s going on?” he asked, sitting up.

“Kolivan’s here,” he said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder towards the hallway.

Shiro grinned and jumped to his feet, tugging out of Keith’s grip. Keith looked between them, frown pulling at his lips as Shiro started walking away.

“Shiro,” Matt said again.

Shiro looked at him and Matt nodded his head towards Keith. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?” he asked.

He turned back to look at Keith and shook his head. “Here we go again, getting stuck in my own head,” Shiro said with a chuckle. “Come on,” he said, taking Keith’s hand and pulling him to his feet. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Keith nodded and followed after Shiro as he hurried out into the hall, pulling him towards the main deck. Matt kept in step beside them.

“Does he have any new information?” Shiro questioned.

“I left to find you before he could say anything. And I’m sure he would’ve waited until you showed up anyway,” Matt said.

They turned the corner to the main deck and found the other Paladins crowded around a tall figure.

“Kolivan!” Shiro greeted.

Keith’s feet stuttered as the Galra turned to face them. He tugged on Shiro’s hand to get him to stop walking, panic setting in.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, brow furrowing.

He shook his head, not taking his eyes off their new guest. He took a step back. He wanted to run to the other end of the Castle and get as far away as he could.

“Shiro,” Kolivan greeted. “It is great to see you again. Who is the new addition to your team?”

“This is Keith. We picked him up when we raided a sex house several days ago.”

Kolivan stepped back, keeping the distance between them. “I see. I am sorry to hear that you met under some unfortunate circumstances.”

Keith swallowed, hand flexing in Shiro’s grip.

“Keith,” Shiro said softly. “Kolivan is part of an organization called the Blade of Marmora. He helped us in our fight to take down the Galra Empire.”

Keith was hearing what was coming out of Shiro’s mouth, but he couldn’t make sense of it. The idea of a Galra fighting for the safety of the universe didn’t make sense to him. Galra didn’t believe in the safety of anyone other than themselves. He didn’t understand. He didn’t _understand._

Shiro’s face filled his vision. “Keith you need to breathe.” He cupped his face between his hands, forcing Keith to meet his eyes. “You’re safe here, Keith. I’m not going to let anything hurt you. Do you trust me, Keith?”

Keith’s eyes were wide and frantic, darting past Shiro to look at Kolivan. He shook his head, something in his chest seizing up. Shiro looked over his shoulder in apology.

“Excuse us for a minute,” he said, walking Keith back toward the door. He pulled him into the hallway. Keith tried looking back around the corner, not wanting to let him out of his sight, but Shiro pulled him away. “You’re safe, Keith. He’s not going to hurt you. Kolivan’s been working with us for years. One of the other members of the Blade was the reason Matt and I escaped the Galra after we were captured.”

Keith gaped, earning him a smile from Shiro.

“I’m not asking you to trust him completely right now, okay? But trust me enough to know that I won’t let him hurt you.”

Keith shook his head. “I-I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t,” he said, stepping back.

A spark of hurt flashed through Shiro’s eyes, making Keith’s heart twist in a different way.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. Shiro smiled sadly.

“Can you try? Please?” he asked, gesturing back to the main deck.

Keith let out a breath and took one of Shiro’s hands that was framing his face, linking their fingers together tightly. “Just…” he said and took another breath. “Just don’t leave me alone.”

Shiro smiled. “Never.”

He squeezed Keith’s hand and turned, pulling him back through the doorway.


	12. Chapter 12

“So Kolivan,” Shiro said as they walked back into the room. “What news to you have for us?”

Kolivan smiled, nodding at both Keith and Shiro. “Our work in eliminating the remaining Galra threats has proved fruitful and alliances between various races are growing and strong. However, there is a base in the Rulare quadrant that is proving difficult. The Galra have barricaded themselves inside and attack any ships that try to come close.”

“What do you need us to do?” Shiro asked.

“We require a second team to help us neutralize the base. Our Blade squads have yet been unable to infiltrate successfully and the one member who has made it inside hasn’t been able to reach back out to us. We worry he’s been captured or worse.”

“Do you need us to provide a distraction?” Matt asked.

“We would prefer to have Voltron distract the Galra and put their heaviest fire in your direction to allow our team to come in under the radar. If possible, destroy the large weapons surrounding the base, but one of our specialty members could cut the lines from the inside if given enough time.”

“I might be able to rig an electromagnetic device that can cut their connections to their weapons from the inside,” Pidge said, stepping forward. “That would take things out faster than trying to hack into their system and you wouldn’t need an access point.”

“That would be very helpful, small one,” Kolivan said.

“How soon are you planning your next attack?” Allura asked.

“A handful of days. We have our ships cloaked several hundred miles from the base, but since we’ve been fighting to take this base for so long we’d rather not delay.”

Allura nodded. “We can follow you immediately. Would you like to dock your ship and we can make the jump together?”

“Of course, Princess. That would be incredibly helpful.”

She smiled. “Of course, Kolivan. If there’s nothing else we won’t delay.”

“Your assistance will be much appreciated,” Kolivan said, grasping her hand between his. “I will dock my ship immediately and then we can move. As soon as I get back, I’ll give the coordinates to Coran.”

“Of course. Paladins, suit up. We’ve got work to do.”

Shiro turned to Keith and squeezed his hand. “I’ve got to go get changed. Will you be alright with Allura and Coran?”

Keith glanced over at Kolivan who was crossing the room towards the door. He looked back at Shiro who was watching him and nodded. Relief filled Shiro’s eyes and he pulled Keith into a hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered into his hair.

Keith buried his face into Shiro’s shirt and sighed when Shiro pulled away. He gave him a smile as he turned away and followed his teammates from the room behind Kolivan. Keith let out a breath and turned to find Allura watching him.

“Why don’t you come have a seat, Keith?” she asked, gesturing to one of the many chairs. “There’s plenty of room.”

Keith nodded and took the one on the periphery, closest to one of the windows. His gaze roved over the stars as he waited. Allura and Coran’s voices faded into the background and for once, Keith felt safe enough to let his mind wander.

A hand settled on Keith’s shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts and he looked up to find Shiro smiling down at him, dressed in his uniform and his helmet tucked under his arm.

“You okay?” he asked.

Keith nodded, gaze roving over the rest of the room where the other Paladins were talking with each other and Kolivan was speaking with Coran as he navigated the map.

“We’ve locked on to the coordinates,” Coran said. “We can jump whenever you’re ready, Princess.”

“Wonderful. Thank you, Coran,” Allura said, stepping up to the podium. “Everyone prepare to jump.”

The other Paladins moved into the available chairs and Shiro moved behind Keith, keeping one hand on his shoulder and holding onto the back of the chair. A beam of blue light enveloped Allura and Keith closed his eyes as all the stars seemed to blur together. He blinked them open and was surprised to see a handful of ships in front of them.

“Looks like we’ve safely arrived,” Coran said, navigating the screen in front of him. He pulled up an image of what looked like the base embedded on an asteroid. “The base remains on low alert. They have no recognition of our presence.”

“Open a communication line with our ship,” Kolivan instructed.

Coran nodded and opened a video link.

“Blade ship 3313G, this is your commander, Kolivan speaking,” Kolivan began. “I have returned with the Paladins of Voltron who have agreed to offer assistance in the reclamation of this Galra base. Confirm your understanding of this message.”

“We confirm,” the recipient of the Galra ship said. “What are your instructions?”

“Ready another strike team and be prepare to infiltrate the base as soon as I return to the ship. The Green Paladin has offered to build a device that will take out their large weapons and give us the chance to overthrow the command that is in place.”

“Understood, sir. Do you know when we may expect your return?”

“Small one,” Kolivan said, turning to Pidge. “Do you know when you will have your device finished?”

Pidge looked up from where she was fiddling with something Keith hadn’t noticed before. “Give me a few more minutes and let me do a systems check and we should be ready to go.”

Kolivan nodded. “As soon as a few ticks,” he said, turning back to the screen.

“Understood. Is there anything else we should prepare in expectance of your return to the ship and our coming mission?”

“I have nothing else at this time. You can expect any new directions or change in understanding to come upon my arrival.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Thank you. End call,” he instructed Coran.

The video disappeared and Kolivan turned to the remainder of the Paladins.

“If another distraction or- form of attack is needed on the base, the Castle can be of use to your efforts,” Allura said.

“I don’t doubt it,” he said with a smile. “For now, I would appreciate your presence on the fringes of battle and be rest assured that if we require your assistance we will call for it. I know what you are capable of Princess and we welcome everything you do.”

“Of course,” she said. “Your strike team will take care of everything on the base?”

He nodded. “They will. We have sufficient weapons and only need the device to interrupt their technology. As long as I am instructed in how to use it there should be minimal issue on our end. From our observations, the number of people on this base are many, but they are weak. With your help we will reclaim a new base in a matter of hours at most.”

“I’ve got it!” Pidge said, holding up the small rectangular box. She tapped at the screen in front of her, grin stretching wider as the diagnostics ran and confirmed its use. “Here, Kolivan,” she said, closing the distance between them. “As soon as you get inside the walls of the base, press this button to shut down their operations. You should know when it happens, but we can provide visual confirmation if you need it.”

“Once the major weapons are shut down we can help neutralize the remaining soldiers in it, too,” Shiro said, breaking in.

“Thank you, Black Paladin,” Kolivan said. “If we are all set, I will return to my ship and ready the strike team. We will cloak ourselves and fly under their radars to the rear of the base while you launch your frontal attack.”

“Understood,” Allura said. “Your ship is still in the dock. If you’d like to go and get that readied, we can open the bay door and let you return.”

He nodded his head to everyone in the room before striding over to the main doors and into the hallway beyond with Pidge’s new invention tucked close to his side.

“Paladins, let’s get ready to engage in combat. To your lions,” Shiro said, easily taking charge. He turned to Keith who was still seated in the chair. “I’ll be back soon, Keith. Will you be alright by yourself?”

Keith looked up at him and nodded. Shiro leaned down and kissed the side of his head before hurrying to his pod and disappearing.

“Coran, open up video footage on the base and see if you can have a camera directed at the rear of the base so we can track the Blade’s progress,” Allura said, clasping her hands behind her back.

“Of course, Princess,” he said, navigating the screen. “I’ve opened the bay doors for Kolivan’s exit. He should be returning to his base soon.”

Keith pressed his hands together in his lap and watched as a ship flew out from under the Castle and drifted easily over to the base. The silence was pressing in like the calm before the storm that Keith had been more than acquainted with over the course of his life.

Kolivan’s ship left their larger cruiser before disappearing, headed in a large circle around towards the rear of the base.

“Paladins, Kolivan’s ship is headed around to the rear of the base, prepare your frontal attack,” Coran said.

“Understood,” Shiro responded.

Keith blinked as five lions flew out from underneath the Castle before combining to form Voltron. Almost immediately, lasers started firing from the Galra base. Voltron wove easily, avoiding the line of fire that was aimed at them. He bit his lip as they ducked and wove through the lasers, aiming their own fire back at the base.

The ground exploded around one of the lasers, but it wasn’t enough to stop it.

“We’re at the rear of the base.” Kolivan’s voice broke in over the comms. “We’re preparing to enter through the ventilation system.”

“Understood,” Shiro responded. “We’ll be awaiting your neutralization of the weapons system.”

Voltron flew closer to the base, pulling out a sword. It swiped close, creating an explosion that seemed to rattle the base.

“Easy, Paladins,” Kolivan said. “We’re in here too, you know.”

“Sorry,” Matt said. “Thought we should do something more than just dance around them.”

“That’s alright, Matt. We’re about to take down their weapons. Ready yourselves.”

“Go ahead,” Shiro said.

The lasers cut short, leaving spots dancing in Keith’s eyes from where he’d been focused on them. He blinked to clear his vision and watched as Voltron divided back into the five lions and they landed in front of the base, the Paladins clearing out and rushing into the building.

“Coran, see if you can bring up their inner security systems,” Allura directed.

Several new windows popped up on the screen, one showing the Blade members who were already engaged in combat with the soldiers on the base and the other following the Paladins through the hall as they hurried towards the fight. Each of the Paladins activated their weapons and Keith watched as they turned a corner and met with a group who were running in the other direction. He held his breath as Shiro cut down three sentries in a row as the other Paladins fanned around him, guarding against gunfire and sliding past defenses.

The skill of both groups against the soldiers was shocking to Keith. They moved easily and fluidly, trusting each other and watching each other’s backs. The fight wasn’t even a fight. It was almost completely one-sided with the added support of the Paladins.

The commanders of the base were put in handcuffs, the leader of the base struggling against the confinements.

“You can’t do this to us!” she spat. “The Galra Empire will never fall. Vrepit Sa.”

“The Empire has already fallen,” Shiro said, gaze hard. “You would’ve done well to recognize that when the transmission went out and the High Command was taken into custody. You are in current violation of Intergalactic law and will be taken to the Court for sentencing.”

The commander growled something unintelligible and Shiro ignored her, moving off to join the other Paladins and the members of the Blade, one of which was supporting another Galra in a Blade uniform.

“Thank you for all of your help,” Kolivan said. “Thanks to you, we’ve taken the base and recovered our fellow Blade member.”

“Of course, Kolivan. Would you like us to transport this group to the Court?”

“That won’t be necessary, Black Paladin,” he said. “We have a team on its way to pick them up for transport. Once they’ve been removed we will work on refashioning this base and bring it online as an Alliance area after going through the records of the base.”

“Join us for dinner, then,” Hunk broke in with a smile. “I’m preparing a new dish tonight that’s passed the taste test with flying colors and we’d all appreciate the Blade’s presence at our table.”

“That is certainly something we can do. As soon as we get these prisoners locked up in the cells, we will join you on your ship.”

The groups separated, the Paladins making their way back through the base towards their lions.

“Keep the video feed of the base running and I want access to the surveillance monitors in the cells,” Allura said, directing Coran. “I doubt they’ll get out, but I don’t want to take any chances and miss suspicious behavior until the transport arrives and takes them back to the Court for sentencing.”

“Of course, Princess,” Coran said. “I’ve set our videos to record the footage as well so we have our own records.”

“Excellent,” she said with a smile. “I believe we need to prepare for guests.” She swept from the room, her dress billowing around her feet.

Keith looked back over at where Coran was still working before pushing himself to his feet and shuffling from the room. The halls were quiet and solemn and Keith felt a bit lost as to where to go and what to do so he let his feet guide him until he was back at the room with the large windows.

He was surprised to find another figure there already and blinked when he turned and faced Kolivan. A little part of him tensed, wanting to run from a threat. Kolivan held up his hands.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said. “I did not realize anyone else would come to this room. Normally it is deserted of occupants.”

Keith nodded.

“I can leave if you would like some time alone. I know my presence makes you uneasy.”

Keith almost wanted to agree and take the room for himself, but he knew the action would leave him stuck in a place where he refused to make a step forward. He shook his head and Kolivan blinked in surprise. He cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry for my behavior earlier,” he apologized. “I’m still uneasy around Galra.”

Kolivan nodded. “As to be expected from someone who had to suffer as you did. But perhaps this can be the beginning of a new step forward in life.”

The corner of Keith’s lips ticked up. “That’s what I’m starting to see. Thanks to Shiro and the rest of the Paladins.”

Kolivan clasped his hands behind his back and took a step forward. “Yes, it is great to see the Black Paladin has finally found a worthy mate and you yours.”

Keith felt himself flush. “No that’s not-“

“But it is,” Kolivan said. “Have you been educated in the act of courting?”

“I heard the stories to help think of better times and opportunities, but I never believed them further than that.”

“That’s a shame,” Kolivan sighed. “Maybe in time you will see the care he is taking with you.”

“I know how he’s been caring for me,” Keith protested, not wanting to seem ungrateful. “He’s done so much and I’ll never be able to repay him for those things.”

Koivan smiled. “I don’t think you will ever be short of repaying him. Your presence alone seems to be enough for him based on his behavior. But if you don’t mind, I think I will part and visit with the other Paladins. It has been a while since I’ve been in the Castle and I’m curious as to what they’ve gotten up to in this time.”

Keith turned as Kolivan passed him and blinked when he caught sight of Shiro standing in the doorway. Shiro shook Kolivan’s hand as he passed before his gaze went back to Keith who felt himself flush.

“How much did you hear?”

Shiro smiled and walked over to him. “I think I showed up somewhere around the time Kolivan called us mates,” he said with a chuckle. He reached for Keith’s hands and pulled him close even as Keith ducked his head to hide his face. “I don’t mind it if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m honored that Kolivan would consider us to be mates.”

“Really?” Keith asked. “You don’t think it’s weird?”

Shiro chuckled. “I’ve been fighting a galactic war across the universe for years. I’ve come into contact with countless cultures and species. I stopped being weirded out by new and different things a long time ago.”

Keith hummed.

“It was nice to see you and Kolivan getting along, too,” he whispered.

Keith nodded and Shiro’s hand came up to cup his cheek, tilting his head back so he met Shiro’s eyes.

“Thank you.”

Keith pushed up on his toes and met Shiro in a kiss, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shoulders as he was pulled even closer.


	13. Chapter 13

Keith curled closer into Shiro’s embrace. He stared out at the stars, not really seeing what was in front of him and more content with being close to Shiro and feeling his presence against him. Dinner had been a success between the Paladins and the members of the Blade who were more than a little curious at his presence.

Shiro had been smart enough to seat him at the end of the table and put himself between him and everyone else, but that didn’t stop the heavy stares and looks that watched him and the probing questions that were often thrown his way in the middle of the conversation. He hadn’t been able to find it in himself to speak in front of so many new faces, but Shiro was more than ready to answer anything they asked.

Despite Shiro’s care and comfort and the delicious food Hunk had prepared, he hadn’t been able to eat more than a few bites of the goo he’d inhaled earlier. His nerves were stretched thin much like his first night on the ship where he was worried about what would happen to him.

Keith had made the first move to excuse himself so that he could calm his anxieties and give the remainder of the Paladins time with the Blade and he was shocked when Shiro followed him from the room. When he’d try to get him to go back he’d refused, saying he wanted to make sure Keith was okay and that’s how they ended up curled together in one of the windows looking out at space.

Shiro’s fingers rubbed circles into his back and he sighed, eyes sliding shut at the ministrations.

“You really could’ve stayed to visit,” he protested again. “At least spend some more time with your allies before they have to leave.”

“They’ll be fine without me,” Shiro said. “Besides, I don’t want to leave you here all alone.”

“I’ll be fine, Shiro. They won’t get to stay with you forever and I’ll be here when they leave. Would it help if I went to the training room and found something to do while you occupied yourself with your guests?”

“Are you sure? Are you really sure?” Shiro asked.

He huffed. “Yes, Shiro. I’m sure. You can come find me when they get ready to leave. I can at least help you see them off even if I wasn’t much for dinner conversation.”

“I’m really proud of you,” Shiro murmured into his hair with a kiss.

Keith turned his face into Shiro’s chest, his cheeks flaming. “You really don’t need to be,” he said, voice muffled by Shiro’s shirt.

“Of course I do. You’ve come so far from when we first rescued you. Your talk with Kolivan is enough to prove that and that doesn’t even count all of the times you found it in yourself to stand up for yourself and stick by what you wanted.”

Keith sighed and pressed against Shiro’s chest so he could sit up and look at him. “Just go to them. You know where to find me.” He turned and swung his legs over the edge, jumping down and ready to walk off when a hand on his arm stopped him.

Keith raised an eyebrow when he turned to face Shiro, but he gave him nothing more than a soft smile and reeled him in for one last kiss. Keith ducked his head when he was released and hurried form the room, turning down the hall towards the training room.

It was weird being back in the large white space without Shiro with him.

“Activate training equipment,” he called.

The space filled with everything he’d worked with the other day and Keith started by doing some stretches to warm up his muscles. When he felt loose and like a little bit of adrenaline and excitement was moving through him. He moved over to one of the dummies he’d used with Shiro the day before and got into a fighting stance, testing his weight for a minute for he settled and raised his hands.

~~

Keith wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead as he fought to catch his breath. Time had sort of blended into itself as each dull thump of the bag sounded in the room. He felt tired and languid, every muscle in his arms heavy and he could probably collapse onto his bed and fall asleep, but he was feeling stronger and knew his strength and balance were already improving from the little work he’d put in.

The door hissed behind him and he turned to find Shiro walk in with a grin on his face and a drink pouch in his hand.

“I thought you might be thirsty,” he said, crossing the distance between them.

Keith nodded and took the drink, sucking down half of it as the cool liquid wet his throat.

“How did it go?”

“Good,” he huffed when he finally managed to pull himself from his drink. “I think I’m getting better.”

“Yeah?” Shiro asked. “We might be able to start some light sparring soon and combat practice if you have a weapon you’d like to use or something.”

Keith smiled and nodded.

“I know you pretty much just got done training or are in the middle of it, but the Blade is getting ready to leave to go back to their ships and I was wondering if you’d like to see them off?” he asked.

Keith bit his lip and fiddled with the drink in his hand. He peeked up at Shiro through his eyelashes and nodded. It was the least he could do after having a conversation with Kolivan and the team had worked with them to take down the base. He didn’t know when he was going to see them next and didn’t want to leave a bad impression. As much for his own benefit as for the rest of the Paladins.

Shiro held out his hand and Keith took it, letting himself get pulled from the room as he sucked on his drink and the sweat dried on his back. Their footsteps and his slurping was loud in the silence as they moved further into the ship towards a place Keith hadn’t been before. They heard the conversations before they turned the corner and Keith could already tell the atmosphere was light and content even with the coming parting.

Keith tried not to tense when they walking into the room and all of the attention turned to them. He fought down his hesitation and uncertainty at the eyes of the Galra watching him. Shiro squeezed his hand and he held onto it for dear life, hoping it would keep him steady through the next few moments of his life.

“You’re on your way out?” Shiro asked.

Kolivan nodded. “We are. We have prisoners to take care of and get ready for transport and you have a universe to get back to protecting.”

Shiro nodded. “Of course. Our work is never done.”

“Which can be unfortunate at times, but we have all chosen our path in life and what we are able to do outweighs some of the downfalls.” Kolivan looked around at all of them, before walking over to Shiro and holding out his hand. “All of you stay safe and take care of yourselves. We will meet again.”

Shiro smiled and took his hand. “May the stars watch over you as you sleep and fight.”

“And you. May the suns you see bloom and bring you security and light in darkness.”

Keith blinked, feeling his mouth drop open as he looked between them.

Kolivan chuckled at his reaction and turned to face him. “Do not look so shocked. Customs have spread because of the alliance. Your partner probably knows far more Galra customs than you might expect.” He held out his hand to Keith. “May the stars watch over you as you sleep and fight.”

Keith stared at his hand for a moment trying to take everything he’d just witnessed in. He let Shiro’s fingers go and took Kolivan’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

“And you. May the suns you see bloom and bring you security and light in darkness.”

The expression felt foreign and heavy as it passed his lips. There were only a handful of times he could remember saying it in his life and it didn’t help that a hush fell over the room as soon as he’d spoken. He glanced at everyone else and immediately dropped his gaze at the stares, shuffling closer to Shiro and pulling his arms back in towards his body.

“Until next time,” Kolivan said before moving off to give his parting words to the other Paladins. The others slowly took up conversations again, but Keith could still feel how their attention was half on him. Several of the other Blades approached Shiro and he offered them nods, but didn’t speak for the remainder of their time together.

His hand was safely back in Shiro’s grip by the time the Galra had boarded their small pod again. The Paladins raised their hands and waved, Keith holding his own up with the crushed drink pouch held between his fingers.

The members of the Blade waved back before their ship was sealed and they navigated off the dock to cruise over to their own ships.

The light atmosphere immediately dimmed a little in the silence that followed.

“Well,” Allura said, turning to face all of them. “I suppose it is time for us to move on as well now that we’ve helped the Blade with their mission. We have our own work to do.”

“Where do you suggest we go next, Princess?” Shiro asked.

“We can jump back to our previous quadrant and finish our survey of the nearby planets and stops to ensure things are running smoothly. The rest of you are free to do what you need in terms of research or training. You’re more than welcome to be on the deck with us, but I think you’ll find more fruitful opportunities in other areas of the Castle.”

“Time to get back to my research,” Pidge said, sprinting from the room first.

Everyone laughed at her quick departure.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,” Hunk said.

“Wait up for me,” Lance said, following him out.

“I think I’ll hit the training deck,” Matt said, following them at a much more relaxed pace.

Allura and Coran shared a knowing look before turning back towards the main deck.

Shiro squeezed Keith’s hand, grabbing his attention. “Anywhere or anything you want to do.”

Keith’s stomach growled and he bit his lip.

“Food? You didn’t really eat much earlier did you?”

“No.”

“I’m sure Hunk won’t mind making something for you. Or testing his new dishes on a willing guinea pig.”

Keith furrowed his brow and cocked his head.

“Right you don’t…know what that is. It’s an animal from my planet. Put it’s more of a metaphor or expression. Kind of like someone who’s participating in an experiment. If that makes sense.”

“Not really,” Keith said. “But okay.”

“Come on, we can worry about figures of speech later.”

Shiro pulled Keith down the hallway towards the kitchen and Keith kept close to him. He felt relaxed. Maybe even happy. Things had finally calmed down and now that he was given a little break form the Galra he was enjoying his time with Shiro.

“Can you believe that was the first time he talked?”

Keith’s steps slowed as he heard the voices drifting out of the kitchen.

“It probably wasn’t his first time talking. I’m sure he’s talked more around Shiro since they’ve spent so much time together.”

“True, but it was still kind of a shock. He didn’t sound how I was expecting.”

“And what were you expecting, Lance?”

“I dunno…it’s hard to describe. When you’ve only known someone who hasn’t spoken it’s weird to hear their voice.”

Keith ducked his head and came to a stop outside the door.

“Keith,” Shiro started.

He shook his head and turned on his heel, hurrying down the hallway and leaving Shiro behind to look after him a little desperately. Shiro watched him disappear around the corner and sighed. He turned on his heel and squared his shoulders before walking through the door to the kitchen. Lance and Hunk froze at his entrance, captivated by the anger dimly shining in his eyes.

“Is everything okay, Shiro?” Hunk hedged.

“Care to explain to me why you were so shocked to hear Keith speak?” he asked, taking a breath.

The two of them shared a look. “Can you really blame us?” Lance asked. “It’s the first time we’ve actually heard words come out of his mouth.”

“Still, that doesn’t mean you need to talk about it like it’s weird or Keith sounds weird.”

Lance had the decency to wince. “So you heard that huh?”

“Not just me, Keith heard, too.”

Lance and Hunk shared a look.

“Where is he?” Hunk asked.

Shiro shrugged. “I dunno. He ran off down the hall.”

“Why didn’t you go after him?” Lance asked.

“You’re supposed to comfort him as his boyfriend,” Hunk added.

Shiro leveled them both with a look that served to chastise them. They shared a guilty look.

“We should probably apologize,” Hunk sighed.

“Come on guys, let’s go find Keith,” Shiro said.

He turned on his heel, not even waiting to see if they would follow, but knowing they would. He turned down the hallway Keith had gone down and tamped down the urge to break into a sprint to try and track him down. He glanced through every door they passed, trying to figure out where he would be. The only place Shiro had consistently found him was by the windows.

Shiro smiled and picked up his pace almost working up to a light jog. He heard confused sounds come from behind him and swung around the next corner, the archway leading to the observation deck coming in sight. He sucked in a breath, ready to let loose an explanation, but he stopped short at the empty room.

“Looks like he’s not here,” Lance said.

Shiro frowned and ran a hand through his hair. The only other places Keith had been were his room and the training deck. He turned and walked past Lance and Hunk, turning in the direction of the training deck. He heard muffled sounds as they approached and Shiro stopped short when he realized it was laughter.

He blinked when he rounded the corner and found Matt and Keith sparring. Both of them were smiling and Keith was laughing softly as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Everything Shiro had planned to say left his mind as he took in how beautiful Keith looked when he was letting himself look so relaxed and happy.

“Shiro,” Matt said, straightening. Keith’s gaze snapped to him and his smile dimmed a little when he took in Hunk and Lance behind him.

He took a step back, posture becoming more closed off.

“These two,” Shiro said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder, “have something they’d like to tell you.”

Lance sighed behind him. “Look, Keith, we’re sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable with our comments about you talking. We were just more than a little shocked is all.”

“Yeah,” Hunk added. “We were really surprised you felt so comfortable with talking in front of us. We’re sure it hasn’t been easy to even take such a step, but we’re glad you could. Can you forgive us?”

“Yeah, can you forgive us?” Lance asked.

Shiro bit down on his lip, trying to hide his smile as he looked at Keith who was kind of just staring at Lance and Hunk. He opened his mouth and huffed a breath before closing it. He nodded.

“Thanks,” Lance said.

“You two are idiots.”

Keith’s statement was so abrupt Shiro burst out laughing. It didn’t take long for Matt, Lance, and Hunk to join in as well.

“Yeah,” Lance said, wiping away a stray tear. “Yeah, we kind of are. Not sure how we’ve managed to survive an alien war this long.”

“Speak for yourself,” Hunk said, throwing his arm around Lance’s shoulders in a hug.

Keith smiled, eyes straying back to look at Shiro who returned his smile.

“I should get back to the kitchen,” Hunk said. “Let’s go Lance.”

Shiro pulled his gaze away from Keith and watched Hunk pull his friend out of the room.

“Hey, Shiro,” Matt said, catching his attention.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Care to join us for a little hand to hand?” he asked, gesturing to Keith.

He grinned. “I’d be stupid not to.”


	14. Chapter 14

Shiro dropped down onto the mat next to where Keith was laying on his back, arms splayed out from his sides as he fought to catch his breath. Shiro wiped the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead. Matt tossed a drink pouch to Shiro who caught it in his hand. He dropped the other one on Keith’s stomach, making him huff, and curl in on himself from the unexpected contact.

“As soon as we get Keith trained a little more, you’re going to have a run for your title as the best fighter in our group,” Matt said, sitting down across from them.

“Don’t sell yourself short Matt, you’re just as good,” Shiro scoffed.

He shrugged. “I fall short at direct hand-to-hand. I work better with a staff, but I think Keith is going to be really good at close combat.”

Keith flushed and ducked his head, pulling the straw from the side of the pouch and sticking it through the top to take a drink.

“Maybe good enough to help us on missions,” Matt added.

Shiro froze and gaped at him. He immediately wanted to protest, but checked himself, turning to look at Keith instead who’d looked up at Matt.

“I just figured it would be better than leaving him to wander around the Castle or having to watch us fight. I know how hard it was when we were first captured by the Galra and you were so much stronger than I was.”

“Keith?” Shiro asked, turning to him.

He shrugged and fiddled with his drink pouch. “I’d like to help…I’m not good with tech like Pidge so I couldn’t do that…”

“Would you be ready to face the Galra?” Shiro asked.

“Well, no…not yet since I’m not a very good fighter,” Keith said, lips ticking up in a smile. “I’d rather not have my first experience be me laid out on my ass.”

Matt grinned and Shiro smiled.

“We should get cleaned up,” Keith said, pushing himself to his feet.

“Spar again tomorrow?” Matt asked.

Keith nodded.

“Cool. I’m going to go take some time with Red if you need anything,” he said before slipping out the door.

“Hey,” Shiro said before Keith could make his exit. “Are you really ready to fight the Galra? I don’t mean skill wise, but emotionally?” he asked.

Keith sighed, gaze dropping to the floor. “I don’t know. I know I’m going to have to face them sometime. I’ve already taken a step with the Blade. I know it would be so easy to just stay in the Castle and watch the rest of you fight, but that doesn’t feel right. I can do something. I have something to offer even if I’m not the best fighter yet.”

Shiro caught Keith’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “And you can help if that’s what you want to do. If not on our next mission then there’s the one after that. There’s no rush.”

Keith pursed his lips, but nodded.

“Want to get cleaned up?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded and left the training room behind with Shiro at his side. They turned back to their rooms and wove through the halls, their footsteps the only sound surrounding them. They parted ways to go to their own rooms and Keith hadn’t realized how much he hadn’t been alone until he stepped through the door to his room. He made a face, thinking about the last time he’d showered. He didn’t think it was very recently.

He slipped into his bathroom and fiddled with the knobs on the shower until it was coming out in a steady stream. He turned to look at the mirror as he stripped himself out of his suit. He turned from side to side, scrutinizing his stomach. His ribs looked less prominent, but he was still ridiculously skinny compared to everyone else.

Keith frowned, seeing all of the faults enveloping his body. He lacked muscle, he wasn’t the shortest person, but he was on the shorter side, and he was all sharp angles. There wasn’t anything soft about him. Not that he really had the comfort or ability to let himself become stagnant.

He wrapped his arms around himself and kicked his suit to the side before stepping into the shower. He let the water run over his skin, warming him and washing the dried sweat from his skin. He stared down at his feet and the water that pooled around them. His feet were long and narrow, his toes skinny. His legs lacked any sort of definition he would’ve built up if he’d had the chance to run around outside like a normal kid.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Even after he’d found freedom and started to move on in life, the scars of his past still stuck with him and he knew they’d always be there. If it wasn’t trust issues he was dealing with, he’d wear them on his body: underfed, undernourished, missing everything a normal person had. Someone like Shiro could easily snap his arm like a twig.

Keith lowered himself to the floor of the shower and hugged his legs to his chest, letting the water run over him more fully. He closed his eyes and listened to the rush of the water around him and the droplets splattering on the tiles when they ricocheted off his skin.

~~

By the time Keith pulled himself up off the floor of his shower and cleaned up his limbs were stiff from staying in one position for so long. He shivered when he stepped out of the shower, feeling small in the Castle despite the size of his bathroom. He wrapped a towel tightly around himself and moved back into his room.

He pulled open the drawers to the dresser and was surprised to find spare changes of clothes in it. He hadn’t talked about getting more clothes or even thought about getting spare suits. He pulled one of the suits out and was pleased to find it was a proper fit. 

Keith dropped his towel and stepped into the legs of the suit, pulling it up to his waist before shimmying his arms into the sleeves and pulling the zipper up to his chin. He stooped and picked up the towel before slipping back into the bathroom to hang it up. He inspected himself in the mirror and felt more comfortable with his appearance now that he was clothed. He looked less like a skeleton with something covering his thin frame.

He poked his head out of his room and found the hallway empty. He hummed and padded down to Shiro’s door, knocking gently. He heard a muffled response inside before it slid open and he was face to chest which Shiro’s naked torso.

Keith swallowed and forced his gaze away from Shiro’s muscles and scars to meet his gaze. He knew his face was flushed, but was glad to see Shiro embarrassed too. He cleared his throat and shifted in place.

“Sorry,” Keith apologized. “I didn’t realize you’d still be, uh…”

“It’s fine,” Shiro cut in. “Did you want to come in or…?”

“I don’t have to,” Keith said quickly. “You’re obviously still changing and I wouldn’t want to be in your way.”

“It’s really okay, Keith. That is, unless it would make you uncomfortable?”

Keith paused and tried to think of some sort of explanation. He’d never really been around someone who was naked without something happening before and Shiro wasn’t bad looking. He was gorgeous and beautiful and sweet and caring and kind and Keith really didn’t know how to handle all of that.

“Why don’t you wait out here?” Shiro offered as the silence continued to stretch between them. “I just need to get dressed anyway.”

Keith nodded and slumped against the wall as soon as the door was shut. He sank to the floor and put his head in his hands, feeling like his own body was betraying him because of how much he liked how Shiro looked. Their relationship hadn’t been short of physical affection, but they hadn’t had an abundance of it either and Keith had never given much thought to anything beyond simple touches. Mainly because he’d never had any positive experience in anything that went further.

Keith sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Maybe he just needed to spend more time around Shiro. Not that he’d had many chances away from him. All of this was becoming more confusing than he’d ever expected. Now that he was thinking about it, having control over his own life was far more stressful than anything that had happened to him before.

It hadn’t been a pleasant experience, but he knew what was expected of him and knew how to handle pretty much any situation he was put in.

“Keith?”

His head snapped up and he found Shiro standing in the open door to his room. Keith hadn’t even heard it open he’d been so lost in his own thoughts.

“You okay?” he asked.

Keith dropped his gaze and stared at the floor.

“Do you want to come in and talk about it?” Shiro asked, holding out a hand.

Keith took his hand and let himself get pulled to his feet. He let Shiro pull him back into his room and settled easily onto the bed next to him, leaning against his side.

“What’s on your mind?”

Keith shrugged, resting his head on Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro’s arm came to rest around his waist, his thumb rubbing circles into Keith’s side. Keith tucked his legs underneath himself and draped his own arm across Shiro’s waist. He glanced up at Shiro who was watching him.

Keith straightened and leaned closer to Shiro. “Can I kiss you?”

Shiro’s eyes widened, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. His gaze softened after a moment and he smiled before nodding. Keith pressed forward and pressed his lips against Shiro’s. Shiro tightened his grip around his waist and Keith moved closer, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

Shiro was gentle with him, holding him close as their lips brushed against each other. Keith sighed, finding comfort in the kiss and wanting more. He pressed forward more firmly and Shiro groaned low in the back of his throat, the sound made Keith startle and he jolted backwards, heart pounding out a harsh rhythm in his chest.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, brow furrowing before he opened his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Sorry,” he apologized and pulled out of Shiro’s grip. He braced his elbows against his knees and buried his head in his hands, trying to will his body to calm down.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Shiro said, placing a gentle hand on his back. “What startled you?”

Keith let out a shaky breath. He didn’t know how to explain. It wasn’t anything serious. Shiro had only groaned. It’s not like he’d pushed him down against the sheets or tried to feel him through his clothes. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was so familiar to dark rooms and handcuffs and the reminder of what he’d lived through.

“I need to go,” he said, standing abruptly and shaking Shiro’s hand off his back. He rubbed his hands over the pants of his suit.

“Wait, Keith-“

“It’s not your fault,” Keith hurried to explain even as he rushed for the door. “I just need a minute to be alone and collect myself.”

He didn’t wait for a response from Shiro before he slipped through the door and down the hallway. He hoped Shiro would listen to him and wouldn’t be too hurt over what had happened, but he really didn’t know how to explain without making it sound like any little thing Shiro did could send him back.

Honestly, Keith felt shitty for reacting the way he had. He’d felt good about what was going on between them and had enjoyed the contact with Shiro, but it was obvious some things were off the table and might always be that way.

He sighed and thought about turning back, but his feet kept carrying him further through the Castle. He twisted and turned and wound through the hallways, not giving much thought to where he was going.

“Keith?” he looked up at his name, finding Matt looking at him curiously from where he stood in the doorway leading to his hanger, the Red Lion behind him. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Just wasn’t watching where I was going and ended up here.”

“Okay,” Matt said with a shrug. “You’re welcome to hang out if you like. I come here a lot when I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Keith nodded. “Thanks, I…I appreciate it.”

“Sure, take a seat.”

Keith walked over to the edge of the room and slid down so his back was against it and he brought his knees to his chest. He stared up at the Red Lion. In all honesty, he would’ve thought it would’ve been far more imposing than it actually was. But it was actually comforting to be around it. He felt safe nearby.

“You and Shiro didn’t get into an argument, did you?” Matt asked, sitting down cross-legged opposite from him.

He shook his head. “No. he didn’t do anything wrong. More like my brain struggling with…everything, I guess.”

Matt cocked his head to the side. “If it has something to do with your past, it’s nothing you need to worry about rushing, Keith. I’m sure Shiro will understand if you just explain it to him.”

Keith sighed and buried his face in his knees. Anger flared in his chest. “I don’t want him to have to walk on eggshells around me,” he growled into his knees. “I want to be able to have a normal relationship without things getting in the way.”

Matt hummed. Keith heard a thump and raised his head. Matt had fallen backwards so he was laying on his back, limbs splayed out like a seastar. Matt glanced at him and saw his confusion. He offered a smile before his gaze went back to the ceiling.

“I find laying on my back helps me think. It keeps me from getting tense and I’m forced to think about what’s bothering me. You should try it. You might like it. But anyway,” he continued. “I know it can be frustrating. Especially where you are right now. You’ve made progress, but there are still things that aren’t all the way there.”

Keith felt himself uncurl from himself a little bit at the words.

“I don’t want to make this about me, but it might help to hear about someone else’s experiences,” Matt said. “I had no idea what I was doing when I was first captured by the Galra. If it weren’t for Shiro, I would’ve ended up dead, but he kept me going. I lost some of myself when I had to fight in the arena. I had to do things I’d never imagined. But I survived. I carry more scars than I used to, but I’m still alive and fighting every day.”

Keith uncurled further. He inched away from the wall and to the open space on the floor.

“There are nightmares and I’m going to have the scars the rest of my life. There are still times when I’m thrust back to those months in the arena. Do I feel weak when that happens? Yes. But I know I’m still healing and I’ll always be healing. I used to think of the nightmares as setbacks, but now I recognize all of this isn’t a zero-sum game. It’s easier for me to see the joy and happiness in things now and I enjoy being able to help the universe…” Matt trailed off and Keith took the opportunity to spread out on the floor.

He stared up at the ceiling high above their heads and marveled at the space. Just when he thought he was starting to get used to everything around him, he was awed by something new. Matt’s story had made sense and he was glad to know that it was okay for him to be frustrated.

“Matt?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

Silence fell between them and Keith thought back to earlier. He owed Shiro an explanation and he felt more comfortable giving one. If Matt’s explanation only hinted at a little of what he was going through, then Shiro was no doubt dealing with the same things and would understand.

“You guys okay in here?”

Keith and Matt raised their heads and found Shiro standing in the doorway, staring at them. They both grinned.

“Sure are,” Matt said, lowering his head back to the floor. “Now get over here and join us. Your boyfriend missed you.”

Keith chuckled softly and waved at Shiro to come over. He smiled and hurried over, laying down next to Keith and stretching out his hands. Keith caught his fingers in his and linked them together, giving his hand a squeeze.

Shiro squeezed back and rolled his head to the side to look at him. His gaze was soft and the last thing that Keith wanted to do was pull his gaze away from Shiro’s gray eyes.

They were going to be okay. And he was going to be okay. He was sure of it.


	15. Chapter 15

Keith stared down at Shiro’s fingers in his hands. They were seated on Shiro’s bed, legs crossed and facing each other after leaving Matt back with the Red Lion in his hanger. After Matt had shared his story with him, Keith had wanted nothing more than to explain what had happened to Shiro.

He glanced up and Shiro offered him a smile. Keith bit his lip, his eyes falling back down to where he was fiddling with Shiro’s fingers. He let out a breath.

“Okay,” he breathed into the air.

Shiro squeezed his fingers. “Everything okay? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

He nodded. “I know. And I’m going to. It’s about earlier, actually.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself if you don’t want to.”

He shook his head. “I want to. I need to, actually. I don’t like leaving what happened before unspoken. You deserve to know why I reacted the way I did. It’ll help both of us as we navigate our space together and might give me a boost as I move forward in life. When we were kissing, I really enjoyed it.” He raised his head and met Shiro’s eyes. “I really enjoyed it, Shiro. I want you to know that.”

Shiro nodded. “I enjoyed it, too.”

Keith cleared his throat and felt himself flush. “I know. I could tell you did when you…” He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “I freaked out a little bit when you groaned in the back of your throat. It wasn’t anything else, just that sound.”

Shiro’s face fell a little bit and he opened his mouth to speak, but Keith shook his head.

“No, let me continue for now, please. For some reason, it wasn’t being so close to you or the kissing that did it, but the only other time I’d heard something like that was when I was locked in a dark room with a customer.”

Shiro’s lips thinned. “Can you really call them customers?”

Much to Keith’s surprise, a bitter laugh ripped from his chest. He pulled his hands away from Shiro and scrubbed the heels of his palms against his eyes. “If I called them anything else I don’t think I’d be able to come back from that. It’s just…” he trailed off with a shaky breath, his palms becoming wet from the first tears that sprung to his eyes as the memories flooded him.

Shocked, he pulled his hands away from his eyes and stared at them. Keith didn’t remember the last time he cried over what had happened to him. If he’d ever cried. So much had depended on his own survival that any sign of emotion was discouraged among everyone.

“Keith…” Shiro murmured, reaching for him.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, ducking his head and scrubbing at his eyes and the tears that didn’t seem to stop flowing. “I guess it’s how I make sense of it. Keeps me sane after all of the years that I spent locked up.”

Shiro pulled him into his arms and Keith buried his head in Shiro’s chest. He grit his teeth, trying to keep his emotions in check, but it didn’t do much. He choked on a noise in his throat before he started sobbing openly. Shiro pulled him closer, rubbing a hand up and down his back. Keith twisted his hands into Shiro’s vest as emotions he thought he’d long buried flowed through him.

He barely felt the kiss planted on the top of his head or the fingers running through his hair. Everything in him ached. Everything in him shook and cracked, burnt and exploded, then mended itself back together before repeating the process all over again.

Images, memories, shadows and wisps of senses flowed through his mind. Darkness, pain, disgust and dirt, flowed over his skin and shined behind his eyelids even when he tried to block it out. The cold metal of chains and shackles encircled the thin skin of his wrists and seeped down to the very marrow of his bones.

The warmth in his limbs dispersed. Seeping out of him and collapsing in on itself until he was nothing but cold like the very depths of space and the ice planets which dotted star systems across the universe.

Long after the tears dried, Keith choked on dry sobs and sucked in gasping breaths in an effort to calm down. Everything inside of him ached. Everything around him ached. As he fought to even out his breathing, he curled up into Shiro’s chest, leaning into the strong embrace around him.

Shiro rubbed a soothing hand up and down his spine. He shifted them around until they were lying down on the bed, Shiro keeping Keith close. He was glad he wasn’t trying to talk. He wasn’t sure he could handle explaining himself or even commenting on what was going through his brain.

Keith’s limbs fell heavy and he wanted nothing more than to melt into the mattress below him. His eyes slip shut and he let darkness, a better darkness than the one from his memories, tug at him until the world around him was fading away and he found empty bliss where he wasn’t thinking or feeling anything.

~~

Keith’s eyes felt crusty and nearly glued shut as he awoke. He hadn’t dreamed which he was grateful for. After reliving practically every dark memory of his past, he wanted nothing more than blissful silence and blankness where nothing could go wrong. Keith rubbed at his eyes before blinking them open to find Shiro’s chest in front of his face.

He felt his hair move as a kiss was pressed to the crown of his head. Keith uncurled his fingers and wrapped them in Shiro’s vest. Shiro’s hand flattened against his back.

“How are you feeling?” he murmured into his hair.

“Tired. Drained. I don’t know what else. Exhausted. Like there’s nothing else left inside of me,” he whispered, words heavy in his mouth.

“What do you need?”

Keith shrugged. His mouth felt sluggish, tongue too big. His whole body felt like it was too much. He pressed closer to Shiro and let his eyes fall shut. He wasn’t tired enough to go back to sleep, but the thought of getting up and seeing anyone else was too much.

He blinked when soft humming reached his ears. He tilted his head back and looked up at Shiro who just smiled down at him, not interrupting the tune emanating from the back of his throat. Keith settled back down, eyes falling shut once again as the tune wove through the air around them.

He let himself get lost in the sensation of Shiro’s fingers rubbing patterns into his skin and smoothing circles into his back. The melody slipped into his mind, pushing the darkness and lingering thoughts back that weren’t willing to give up.

Keith wasn’t sure how long had passed by the time a soft knock sounded on the door. He sluggishly raised his head and looked over his shoulder. Shiro pressed a kiss to his head before climbing over him and padding over to it. Keith rolled back over onto his side, not in the mood to see anyone else. Not when he was sure everything he’d relived was showing on his face.

The soft woosh of air signaled when the door open.

“Matt,” Shiro said.

“Hey. You and Keith missed mealtime and it’s almost time for the next one so we wanted to know if everything was okay.”

There was silence for a moment and Keith was certain Shiro was looking over his shoulder at him. He curled further in on himself.

“I think the two of us could use something to eat, but I’ll bring it back here.”

“I can get it for you,” Matt offered. “That way you don’t have to go all the way down to the kitchen and come back.”

Shiro chuckled. “You’d just be doing the same thing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask Keith what he wants and can grab a tray later.”

“Sure thing. I’ll see you later, then,” Matt said.

“Sure.”

The door slid shut and Shiro padded back over to the bed. It dipped as he sat down on the edge and placed a hand on Keith’s back.

“Keith?” he asked.

He turned his head and looked up at Shiro.

“Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat?”

He shrugged. Food was the last thing on his mind.

“If I bring something will you try to eat?”

Keith shrugged again, making Shiro frown.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I’m going to go grab some food and something to drink just in case and if you get hungry later, you can have some. Will you be all right to stay here by yourself?”

Keith nodded.

Shiro reached over and gripped his hand where it was curled against the bed, giving it a squeeze. He stood and walked over to the door, leaving Keith alone for the moment.

Keith sighed and closed his eyes. He curled further into the blanket around him and turned his face into the pillow underneath his head. He breathed in deeply, finding comfort in Shiro’s smell even now that he’d left him for the moment.

He wondered if he was ever going to be strong enough to stand on his own and handle his own life. Or maybe he was destined to rely on the help of others and use them like someone with a broken leg relies on crutches. But he didn’t envision himself healing as easily as someone with a broken leg would.

The door opened with a soft whoosh of air.

“Keith?” Shiro asked. “I brought food if you’re hungry.”

He did his best to shake his head against the pillow where it was resting. Lifting his head even seemed like too much effort.

“I figured,” he said and Keith swore he could hear him smiling.

He heard dishes clatter and the soft thump as the tray was set on the floor next to the bed. Shiro let out a breath as he sat down to lean against his bed. Keith listened as he picked up one of the bowls and a spoon and began to eat his meal.

Shiro stayed silent during his meal besides the repetitive clink of the spoon against the side of the bowl. The sounds blended together and Keith found a sense of comfort in it, the sense of normalcy that came with it helped to let him ignore the track his thoughts had chosen to take. His eyes slid shut and he let his focus stay on the sound, pushing everything else to the side.

Before long, the bed dipped next to him and a hand settled into his hair, running through the strands.

“Do you mind if I lay down?” Shiro whispered, voice loud in the silence even as he fought to keep quiet.

Keith slid across the bed and Shiro laid down behind him, throwing an arm over his waist. Keith turned in his grip and curled into his chest, fingers hooking into the folds of his vest. Shiro’s hand settled on his back and rubbed up and down his spine.

“Do you-“ Keith started and stopped.

“Hm?” Shiro hummed, letting his voice hang in the air as an invitation if he wanted to continue.

Keith stared at the contrast between his pale fingers and Shiro’s dark vest.

“Do you think I’ll ever get better?” he finally mumbled.

Shiro’s hand stopped moving on his back. He pressed a kiss to the top of his head and took a minute to take a slow breath.

“Keith…” he mumbled softly. “Oh, Keith. You can’t get better when there’s nothing wrong with you. Yes, you have negative, hurtful, and harmful experiences, but you aren’t sick or broken. You don’t need someone to heal you or put you back together. You’re enough just the way you are.”

Keith let the words twist in the air around him. He curled his hands tighter into the folds of Shiro’s vest as Shiro’s arms wrapped tightly around his slim frame. Keith closed his eyes and felt the shaking as it worked its way out from deep inside his core.

He grit his teeth as the first tears sprung to his eyes. He pulled Shiro’s vest tightly in his hands, feeling the first dredges of frustration begin to overwhelm everything else. He shoved back against Shiro and tried to sit up. Shiro was reluctant to let him go at first, but Keith succeeded in pulling out of his grip.

He sat up and crossed his legs, leaning back against the wall as he scrubbed the few tears from his eyes. “I’m so tired of this,” he muttered.

“Keith…”

“I’m tired of crying. I’m tired of feeling sorry for myself. I’m tired of feeling like I’m broken and like I’m never going to amount to anything in my life because of what happened to me.”

“Keith-“

“No!” he exclaimed. He looked up and found Shiro watching him, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. “I can’t curl up and hide myself away every time something goes wrong or I’m reminded of what happened. I can’t continue to let so much of life pass me by when I can do something about it and keep moving forward. I’m so tired of sitting to the side. I’m so tired of waiting.”

Shiro wrapped his fingers around one of Keith’s fists were it was resting against his knee. Keith looked up at him and he smiled.

“You may think you’ve been sitting to the side and waiting your whole life,” he said, slowly unwrapping each of Keith’s fingers to reveal his palm. “But I’ve seen you moving forward this whole time. As much as it’s felt like you’ve been stuck in one place since you were freed, you haven’t stopped and this just proves that I know nothing’s going to stand in your way.”

Keith stared at him. He felt the drop in his stomach before it rumbled. Shiro smiled at the sound.

“You feel like eating now?” he asked.

Keith glanced down at their hands and the shiny silver of Shiro’s Galra hand against his own pale skin.

Shiro wore his scars on the inside and the outside. Keith’s were on the inside. As far as he could tell, Shiro had never stopped fighting no matter who stood in his way. And he could do the same.

Keith nodded and Shiro pulled his hands away, reaching for the bowl of goo that was still sitting on the tray next to the bed. He passed it off to Keith who curled his fingers around the side, dipping the spoon into the blue goo.

This was another first step for him to take in an endless series of first steps. But he knew that one day…one day he’d be able to look back and he would be able to see all of the first steps he’d taken as the long and winding path he’d been walking on all along.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um so hi. If you read my other ongoing fic, you'll know that I just recently graduated form college and had been swamped with schoolwork for the past month. But I'm back now and hoping to keep on track a regular editing schedule which I think will be entirely possible. 
> 
> I hope that you enjoy the new chapter because it was fun to work with some of the things that I did with it so please enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith wiped the back of his hand across his forehead as drops of sweat threatened to roll into his eyes. He stared at the space where the previous practice droid had disappeared. A graphed outline appeared before the next droid materialized. Keith grit his teeth and centered his weight underneath his hips, tightening his grip on the staff in his hands.

The droid twirled its staff in his hand before it rushed forward, aiming to bring it down on Keith’s head. Keith dropped his center of gravity and braced the staff over his head, taking the weight of the blow against him. He dropped lower and shifted his weight, sweeping one of his feet out to catch on the legs of the droid. It jumped out of reach of Keith’s leg, taking the pressure off his staff.

He heard the door slide open behind him, but ignored it. He flicked his staff to the side and rushed forward, ducking under the swipe the droid made for his head. He gripped the far end of his staff and used it to press up into the stomach of the droid. Blue, graph-like cracks appeared in the exterior before it shattered into a thousand pieces and disappeared.

Keith heaved a breath and pushed himself to his feet, shoulders sagging in exhaustion.

“End training program,” he called before another droid could appear.

“Want some water?”

Keith turned around and found Shiro leaning against the wall next to the door with a drink pouch clutched in each hand. He nodded, stepping over to the racks of equipment to hang the staff from the hooks before he walked over to Shiro and accepted the drink. They both dropped down onto the bench set into the wall, Keith more heavily than Shiro.

“How long have you been at it?” Shiro asked, once he’d given Keith time to suck down a good portion of the drink.

“A couple hours, I think?” Keith said. “I kind of lost track of time.”

“Well you’ve improved a lot lately with your skills in fighting.”

“Really?” Keith asked. “It doesn’t always feel like it.

Shiro nodded. “For sure. You look like you have a lot better handle on how you handle your physical space. You probably wouldn’t have too much difficulty with starting actual sparring with someone.”

Keith ducked his head to try and hide his smile. “If you think so…”

Shiro chuckled. “Before you know it, you’ll be strong enough to fight the Galra too.”

Keith sipped at his drink for a moment. Facing the Galra didn’t seem as bad as it used to. “Maybe I will be.”

Shiro smiled at him when he glanced up. “If you want to get cleaned up we could go get something to eat,” Shiro said.

Keith nodded and pushed himself off the bench, arching his back to work out the soreness that was slowly settling into his muscles. His legs felt wobbly and he groaned a bit.

Shiro gave him a knowing look before opening the door for them.

Keith slowly regained the feeling in his legs as they continued down the hallway. Shiro kept pace with him easily, hands swinging at his sides. Keith glanced down at his hand out of the corner of his eye. He bit his lip and took a sip of his drink pouch. His pinky twitched before he reached out and caught Shiro’s hand mid-swing.

Shiro started a bit and looked down at their linked hands together. He smiled and squeezed Keith’s hand in his, linking their fingers together. Keith took a sip of his drink to try and hide his pleased smile.

The kitchen was empty when they turned the corner and Shiro pushed him towards one of the stools in front of the counter while he pulled out a pair of plates for both of them. He set them down on the counter with a wave of his hand and more flourish than necessary. Keith smiled and perched his chin in the palm of his hand.

Shiro reached underneath the counter and pulled out the nozzle for the goo and twirled it in his hand. Keith chuckled and watched as Shiro aimed the nozzle at the plates and squeezed the handle. The force of the nozzle pushed Shiro back and the goo completely missed the two plates, spraying all over the counter. Shiro dropped the nozzle and Keith laughed, wiping the goo that had splattered onto his cheeks.

Shiro looked more than a little startled at the mess in front of him.

“Oops,” he said.

Keith pushed himself off the stool he was sitting on and walked around the counter. Shiro smiled sheepishly and Keith reached up and wiped away the few splatters of pink goo that had hit his cheek.

“Guess it takes a little more skill to handle that.”

“Maybe you should just leave the food prep to Hunk,” Keith said.

“I think that might be a good idea,” he agreed.

Keith froze when an alarm blared over their heads. Shiro’s smile dropped from his face and his lips thinned.

“All Paladins report to the main deck,” Allura’s voice said, ringing out over the speakers.

“Shit,” Shiro said. He gave an apologetic look to Keith. “Looks like lunch is going to have to wait for later.” He ducked his head and pressed a kiss to Keith’s cheek before he hurried around him and out of the kitchen.

Keith sighed and didn’t take more than a minute before he turned on his heel and ran from the room. He’d already lost sight of Shiro, but the alarm stopped sounding overhead before he made it to the main deck.

The rest of the paladins were already assembled together and Keith braced a hand against the door to the deck as he fought to catch his breath. The screens were filled with an image of a small planet that was being guarded by a small fleet of Galra ships. It wasn’t a sizable force, but wasn’t small enough that they would easily roll over at the sight of Voltron.

“From the small amount of intelligence we’ve gathered, this planet has been under Galra rule since the end of the war. These fleets are the last remaining force guarding this planet and they raid any cargo ships which pass by in order to keep them going,” Allura said.

“From what we can tell, the fleet you see before you is most, if not all, the Galra forces that have kept control over this planet. If it’s not all of the forces, there might only be a handful of guards in a communications setup on the planet. Either way, don’t let yourselves underestimate what we’re dealing with,” Coran elaborated.

“Paladins, to your Lions,” Allura said, turning to face the group.

Keith watched as the Paladins hurried over to their chairs and dropped into the floors to be taken to their hangers. He walked forward once they’d disappeared and stepped up next to the platform Allura was standing on.

“Keith,” Allura said, catching his attention.

He looked up at her and nodded.

“How’s your training going?”

Keith fiddled with the ends of his sleeves and shrugged.

The five Lions swooped into view in front of the Castle and the Galra ships immediately started firing at their appearance.

“Activate particle barrier,” Allura said.

Coran typed in several commands and the blue shield materialized around the Castle where they hung in space. The lasers that managed to reach the barrier from the ships who were trying to aim at the Lions were harmlessly absorbed.

The Paladins didn’t immediately form Voltron and instead jumped into the fray amidst the ships. Keith watched as the Blue Lion used its tail to fire laser blasts. The Yellow Lion rammed into several ships and forced them into each other’s paths, created a large explosion that destroyed both ships. The Red and Black Lions worked in tandem, using their claws to cut through the sides until each half went up in flames.

The Green Lion worked with a mixture of laser blasts and claw attacks to work through the ships that got in its way. All of the Lions wove expertly through the melee, avoiding any sort of contact unless they initiated it.

Keith sucked in a breath when he saw a ship get around the Red Lion, but a shot from the Green Lion took down the attacker behind Matt.

“Thanks, sis,” Matt said, voice ringing out over the intercoms and making Keith startle since he hadn’t realized how little the Paladins had actually been talking to each other.

“You’d be lost without me,” she shot back and Keith could hear the smile in her voice.

“I think we all would,” Shiro added with a chuckle. “But for now let’s focus on taking down the rest of these ships.”

“If the rest of you keep talking, I’ll singlehandedly take down the rest of this fleet,” Lance said. “Stop sleeping on me guys.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt said. “I’ve easily cut through half of this ships myself.”

Keith smiled, feeling some of the worry dissipate that had originally formed when the alarm had sounded and the Paladins had boarded their Lions.

The Blue Lion made a show of turning and firing off five shots in a row, leaving a trail of flame above the planet they were trying to keep under their control. The Green Lion flew around him and made quick work of a cluster of ships close together.

Within minutes, the rest of the ships had been taken down by the Paladins, leaving nothing but flaming debris in their wake. The five Lions flew close together in a cluster, looking over the scene in front of them.

“Excellent work, Paladins,” Allura said over the comms. “Descend to the surface planet and assess the situation for any other Galra. I’ll prepare a pod and come down to meet you in order to establish and form diplomatic relations with the inhabitants of the planet.”

“Yes, Princess,” Shiro answered.

“Coran,” Allura said, turning her attention towards him. “Stay here and scan the area around the planet for any approaching ships or other threats. If you find anything, let us know right away so Voltron may address the threat. Send a message to the Alliance that we’ve found another planet and are initiating outreach.”

“Of course, Princess,” he said, pulling up another window to prepare a message that would be sent of immediately.

Allura turned toward Keith next, catching him by surprise. “Keith,” she said with a smile. “Would you like to accompany me to the planet? There might be some assistance you can offer to those on the planet or give additional backup to us in case any small fights or altercations break out.”

Keith nodded.

“Excellent. Follow me down to the pods and we can get you an armored suit to change into and a weapon suited to your liking.” Allura turned towards the hallway and Keith hurried after her, forgetting the exhaustion that had plagued him moments ago. They walked through a maze of hallways Keith hadn’t seen before, or if he did, didn’t remember.

They reached an armory first that was stocked with various suits and pieces of weaponry. Allura moved over to the suits and Keith looked over the weapons, reaching for a staff like the one he’d been practicing with before. The first one he picked up felt oddly weighted and he tried to balance it in his hand before putting it back in favor of the next one. This one was more suited to what he’d worked with and he twirled it in his hands, making a few practice swings to get a feel for it.

Satisfied, Keith smiled and tightened his grip on it. He turned and found Allura holding up a suit in front of her. It looked like the ones that the other Paladins and Allura wore, but instead of the colored accents on the plates of armor, this one was solid black.

“This should fit you,” she said, handing it over. “You can get changed behind that curtain and then we can get in the pod transport for the planet.”

Keith nodded and walked over to the changing room, leaving the staff outside. He pulled the curtain shut behind him and began to pull off the thin suit he’d been wearing since he’d arrived on the ship. The armor was more form-fitting and stiff and made Keith feel a little self-conscious about how skinny he still was, but it did offer more bulk than he had. He eyed himself in the mirror, knowing he couldn’t take too long before he pushed back through the curtain and grabbed his staff.

“Does that fit okay?” Allura asked.

He glanced up at her and nodded.

“Excellent,” she said and walked back towards the hall. Keith hurried to keep up with her, but they only turned a couple more corners before they were at a line of pods. Allura typed in several things on the keypad and the doors opened.

Allura took the pilot seat and Keith sat next to her. The amount of buttons and tools around them overwhelmed Keith, but he was relieved he didn’t have to do anything as Allura knew exactly how to pilot the pod.

The doors shut behind them and the pod dislodged from the Castle, drifting into open space before the thrusters powered up and directed them towards the planet. Little debris was left in the space where the ships had been and Allura ignored what was around them as they broke through the atmosphere and hurtled towards the surface of the planet, slowing as they reached a landing point to come to a gentle stop among the Lions the Paladins had already set down before their arrival.

“Paladins, what is the situation?” Allura asked as they stepped out of the pod.

“We found a small group of Galra who’d set up base in the main building,” Shiro said, voice sounding strained over the comms. “Other than that, it doesn’t look like any other bases are set up on this planet.”

Allura spotted the circular roof of the largest building set further back into the city. She took off in that direction and Keith followed closely behind her, eyeing the buildings around them as they moved into the streets bordered by clustered businesses and residence houses.

“We’re on our way and should arrive in a few ticks,” Allura said.

“We?” Shiro asked.

“No time for questions,” Matt interrupted. “Give me a hand over here.”

Keith tightened his grip on the staff he held closely at his side. He caught sight of a few curious onlookers peeking through their curtains to get an idea of what was going on. He hoped they would be welcoming once they realized they were here to help them.

They turned the last corner and found the main building looming over them where the buildings broke apart to give space to it. The front doors of the building were hanging open and a single Galra soldier could be seen collapsed on the front steps.

Allura and Keith hurried through the open doors and heard the fighting further in. As large as the building looked on the outside, it was easy to navigate. Keith rounded the corner ahead of Allura and ducked as a blaster shot aimed for his head and ricocheted off the wall behind him, sending down a spray of stone dust from the wall.

He acted without thinking and cracked the end of his staff across the side of the soldier’s head. He stumbled backwards and Keith brought the staff down again on top of the soldier’s head with a loud crack, leaving him to crumple to the ground.

Allura ran past him to join the fray that was in the next room. Keith kept an eye on the doorways around them as he followed after her. As soon as he stepped through the open doors he found all of the Paladins engaged with Galra soldiers. They were outnumbered, but keeping up with them well as a few of the soldiers were already limp on the floor.

Keith spotted someone working on the makeshift computer that they’d set up and he could see him composing a message and programming a beacon. He sprinted forward, sliding easily between the individual fights as no one gave the newcomers much notice, if they even knew they were there.

Keith swung his staff over his head and cracked it against the Galra’s side. He flinched but didn’t move away, trying to go back to typing, but Keith swept his feet out from underneath him. He stumbled to the side away from the computer and Keith planted himself in front of it so he wouldn’t get back to it so easily.

He growled and pulled out a blaster that Keith knocked out of his hands before he could fire, cracking the staff against the side of his head. He fell to his knees and clutched the side of his head as blood started to run down the side of his face. He tried to push himself to his feet, but Keith smacked the back of his neck, sending him slumping to the ground.

“Keith?”

He looked up at his name and found Shiro staring at him in shock, his Galra hand at the ready. The rest of the soldiers were quickly becoming subdued and Keith smiled sheepishly, shrugging at the attention even as his heart pounded in his chest.

“Well,” Matt said, walking over and throwing an arm around Shiro’s shoulders after kicking a soldier to the ground. “Looks like your boyfriend is pretty badass.”

Keith flushed and looked away.

“I know,” Shiro said, a little breathless.

“Why don’t you three stop standing around and help us get these guys tied up,” Pidge called from where she was tying the hands of unconscious soldiers.

Shiro cleared his throat and shrugged off Matt’s arm before getting back to work.

“I’ll go scope out the rest of the rooms,” Allura said. “Keith come with me?” she asked.

He nodded and followed after her down the hallway, biting his lip to hide his smile at seeing Shiro in such awe.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week was kind of busy and I got behind on writing so this chapter's up a couple days late, but here it is!!!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith peered around the corner to the next room and found it empty. He darted around the corner with Allura next to him. They were making quick work of searching the rest of the building and had only found one other soldier so far. He’d been tucked away with their weapons and other stored goods. Keith wasn’t sure if he’d been placed there when the attack on the planet had started or if that was his usual station and he’d been oblivious to what was going on. Whatever the reason, he was now tied up in the hallway with some nasty bruises littering his body.

They reached a hallway that split off in two directions and shared a look before they darted off in opposite directions. The walls were smooth before the hallway begin to curve around. Keith reached a door that was slightly ajar. He slowed down and kept close to the wall, peeking around the doorway to see what he could find inside. He pushed the door open slowly and peered into the room.

He ducked when a laser blast hit the wall next to his head and pressed back against the wall in the hallway. He swallowed and took a deep breath. As far as he could tell the shooter was further in the room. He suspected he was probably crouched on the ground. He slid into a squat and peeked around the corner. Another blast landed above his head, showering dust over his face.

“Keith!”

He looked up and found Lance rushing towards him, blaster in hand. Relief flooded through him and he waved Lance over. He crouched next to him, brow furrowing.

“Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and pointed to the room behind him. He pointed his finger and made a shooting motion and Lance nodded.

“Switch places with me,” he said getting around Keith. He let out a breath and braced the blaster against his shoulder.

Keith watched as he carefully leaned around the corner and fired off three shots.

“There,” he said, getting out of his crouch and running inside. Keith followed after him and found the soldier slumped on the floor. Lance pushed his blaster away and Keith surveyed the rest of the room, finding it empty.

“Wasn’t Allura with you?” Lance asked once he’d tied the soldier’s hands behind his back. He picked up the blaster and handed it to Keith who held it gingerly in his free hand.

Keith pointed back down the hallway they’d come. He nodded.

“I’ll go see how she’s doing. Are you good to keep going yourself?”

Keith nodded and they parted ways. He continued down the hallway and came to a few more rooms which were all empty. He made it back around to the main room where the initial battle had been. Matt, Shiro, and Pidge were still inside. Pidge and Matt were going through the records on the computer, giving explanations to Shiro of what they’d found. The soldiers who’d been fighting them were lined up in a row on the floor.

Shiro looked up at his entrance and immediately made a beeline for him.

“Keith,” he said, stopping in front of him. “Did you find anything? Where’s Allura?”

“We split off and she took the opposite hallway. I got sidetracked by someone hunkered down in a room with a blaster. Lance helped me take care of him.”

Shiro nodded. “Are you okay? Not hurt?”

Keith raised an eyebrow and Shiro held up his hands.

“Right, sorry,” he said.

“We should go find Allura,” Keith said.

Shiro nodded. “Matt, Pidge, do you have everything covered here?”

Their muttering didn’t stop as they flipped through more of the information.

“I guess that’s a yes…” he said.

Keith huffed a laugh and turned on his heel, turning down the hallway towards where he’d just come from. He peeked into the room where the guard had been and found the guard struggling and muttering under his breath, hands tied tightly behind his back.

“I’m going to go put him with the others,” Shiro said, moving through the doorway. “I’ll catch up with you in a couple minutes.

Keith nodded and continued past until he got where the hall had divided. He went straight instead of turning down the hallway he’d first walked down with Allura. This hallway curved the opposite way the one that led to the main room did. He heard pounding feet behind him and looked over his shoulder to find Shiro hurrying up to him.

“That was quick,” he said.

“Yeah,” Shiro said, breathlessly. “Wasn’t too far of a walk.”

Keith passed off the blaster he was still holding and Shiro took it between his hands, wrapping his fingers tightly around the handle.  

The walls were free of any doors or openings as they made their way down, more cautious now that they were in unfamiliar territory. Keith was expecting to find some room set into the wall, but nothing came into view. The hallway curved more harshly until they reached an open doorway. Keith shared a look with Shiro who readied the blaster while Keith tightened his grip on his staff.

They stepped through the door and found themselves at the edge of a large circular room. Intricate patterns covered the floor and the ceiling was a large dome high above their heads and had equally intricate, but brighter patterns extending across it. Most of the room was empty except for Allura who was standing in the center of the room.

“Allura?” Shiro asked, voice loud in the silence.

She startled and whirled around to face them.

“Oh,” she said, relaxing at finding them there. “Shiro. Keith.”

“Did you find anything?” Shiro asked. “Keith already looked through the other hallway and found a guard hunkered down in one of the rooms, but he’s been taken care of.”

She shook her head. “There wasn’t anyone in this room and it looks as though it’s largely remained untouched unless what had been in here was taken away,” she explained. “This is the last room of the building and I’m not sure what was housed here. I have suspicions it was religious in nature, but I can’t be sure until I talk to one of the natives and get a better understanding of their culture.”

Shiro nodded. “Since we’ve taken the guards into custody we should probably go and find the leaders of this group and extend diplomacy.”

“It’ll be best if you come with me Shiro. They’ll appreciate having the head of Voltron present, whether or not they’ve heard of our achievements. Keith, you’re welcome to come with us and watch over what we do or stay with the others while they work through the logs from the Galra.”

“Keith?” Shiro asked.

Keith squared his shoulders and stepped up next to Shiro so they were shoulder to shoulder. Shiro smiled, letting his gaze slowly slide back to Allura.

“Looks like we’re both going.”

Allura smiled and walked past them. “Let’s go then.”

The streets around them were silent as they stepped back through the large double doors. The guard who’d been lying on the front steps was gone. Keith glanced up at the windows of the buildings and most of them remained dark, but he could see a face peeking through the panes of glass from one room.

Allura stopped at the bottom of the steps and glanced over the windows and buildings. She cupped her hands around her mouth.

“Attention all citizens of this planet. My name is Princess Allura. I come from Altea and am followed by the legendary Paladins of Voltron. We’ve come to neutralize the last remaining Galra threat now that their empire has fallen. We are striving to bring peace back to the universe and would appreciate speaking with you on more diplomatic terms.”

Allura’s voice echoed slightly off the bolted up houses. Silence returned to them for a few moments before something creaked to the right of them. Keith’s head whipped to the side and Shiro tensed next to him even as Allura stepped forward.

A door had been pushed open slightly and a small face was peeking out through the crack in the door. Big, bright eyes stared at them before the door was shoved further open and a small figure ran towards them.

“Caltrick, no!” a voice called after the child.

A much larger person slipped through the door and ran after the child, catching them when they were a few feet away. The man stared at them with wide eyes, fear filling them even as the child squirmed in his arms.

“Please,” Allura said, holding up her hands in order to seem as nonthreatening as possible. The demeanor of the man didn’t change and one of his feet moved backward like he was on the verge of turning and sprinting away. “We do not mean you any harm. We only wish to establish an alliance between your planet’s government and the Intergalactic Alliance.”

The man looked past them at the building behind them.

“You…you defeated the Galra in there?” he asked, voice hesitant.

Allura nodded. “We did,” she said. “We also took down the forces and battle cruisers they sent out at our arrival. If you don’t have any objections, we’re going to take the soldiers with us so they can be tried by the Alliance’s council and given the punishment they deserve for their crimes.”

The child, Caltrick, squirmed in the man’s arms until he dropped to the ground. He darted forward and came to a stop in front of Shiro and Keith, staring up at them. He cocked his head to the side in interest. Keith knelt down slowly, careful not to scare him off. He held out his hand, palm upwards and watched Caltrick study his hand.

He reached forward and placed his tiny fingers in Keith’s palm and Keith rested his thumb on the back of his hand, shaking it gently in greeting. Caltrick grinned and giggled, pulling his hand back before he danced in a circle. He looked up and found the man gaping at him and his interaction with his child.

He closed his mouth and swallowed. “Give me a moment, please,” he said towards Allura. He turned on his heel and jogged away, shouting “Chancellor!” as he went.

The sounds of activity drew more citizens from their spots in their houses. They peered through windows or removed the shutters to look down on the square. Other people stepped from their houses, unwilling to come much closer than their front steps. The man from earlier returned with an elderly woman wearing long robes. She held a staff tightly in her hand which seemed to be more an object of decoration rather than something to help her walk.

“Thank you, Progthorn,” she said when they’d stopped a couple of feet away from the trio. “You are the visitors who defeated the Galra?”

“We are,” Allura said. “I am Princess Allura of Altea. This is Shiro, the leader of the Paladins of Voltron and Keith, one of our fighters.”

Shiro stepped forward at his name and bowed slightly. Keith stayed in place and nodded when the chancellor looked in his direction.

“And you seek something now that you have defeated the Galra?” she asked.

“We wish to form an alliance with your planet and bring you into our federation which strives to maintain peace across the galaxy. We would also like to take the remaining Galra who were terrorizing this planet with us so they may be tried in front of the Galactic council for their crimes.”

The chancellor stared at them for a moment. “I fear we have missed much while suffering at the hands of the Galra. Are there others with you?” she asked.

Allura nodded. “The remainder of the Paladins are inside and are going through the records the Galra kept. I also have my advisor Coran who is on our ship orbiting your planet.”

“I think it will be best if you and the leader of Voltron discuss a few things with me. I cannot promise anything yet, but I would like to hear more about what has happened. The rest of my council will return to the building and begin preparations to bring it back under our organization. Please instruct your Paladins to follow any instructions we may give them, regardless of what their own motives may be.”

Allura nodded. “Of course. Keith, please let the Paladins know what is going on. Where shall Shiro and I follow you?”

“Come this way,” she said, turning on her heel.

Keith watched as Shiro left with Allura. The others who’d come from their homes stared at Keith in the absence of Allura and the chancellor. He swallowed and ducked his head, turning on his heel to walk back into the building.

Matt and Pidge were still working through the computer logs and Lance was leaning against the wall, looking a little bored at everything.

“Keith!” he said, looking over at his entrance. “Where’s Allura and Shiro?”

Matt and Pidge were pulled from their conversation at the sound of Lance’s voice and looked over at them. Keith shifted, slightly uncomfortable and uncertain about the words he needed to relay to them.

“Keith?” Matt asked, walking over to them. “What happened out there?”

Pidge wasn’t far behind, inquisitive gaze roving over Keith. Keith reached out and tugged on Matt’s arm, pulling him from the room.

“Is everything okay?” he asked when they were alone.

Keith nodded. “Yeah. Allura and Shiro are talking with the woman in charge and should be back soon. Her advisors are going to be here soon to get their things back in order and we’re to obey anything they may tell us.”

“I’ll tell the others,” Matt said. “Is there anything else you need?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Okay. Pidge and I are going to keep working on the computer stuff unless we’re told to stop. You should be free to do whatever you want, so you can stay here or go around the city, but just be careful.”

Keith nodded and followed Matt back into the room. He barely listened as he relayed the instructions to the others and Lance took up his spot against the wall again as Pidge and Matt got to work. He looked around himself and crossed his arms, feeling out of place among everything.

A group of people walked through the door, chattering excitedly. They made a beeline for Matt and Pidge and immediately engaged in conversation. Keith slipped through the door and moved back out of the building and into the light of the planet’s star.

A few people were still milling around in the large courtyard after the disappearance of the chancellor. Others had moved off to start taking down the boards from their windows to let light inside after who knew how long. Some of them caught sight of Keith upon his return and stared at him. He ducked his head, hoping to avoid the looks and any confrontations that might come with it.

Caltrick popped into view and reached for him. Keith instinctively moved back at someone being so close in his space even if it was a small child. Hurt and disappointment flashed across the child’s face and he swallowed before kneeling down in front of him. Caltrick pouted and Keith held out his hand, palm upwards.

He smiled and reached out, placing his hand in his, small fingers wrapping around a single finger.

“Come,” he said and moved backwards, trying to pull Keith with him.

Keith nodded and straightened as much as he could, still having to bend awkwardly to accommodate Caltrick’s height. Caltrick scurried across the stone roads towards the other groups of people and the other people looked up at their arrival, some of them wearing looks of shock or suspicion at Keith’s presence.

Keith tried to offer a friendly smile and nodded at all of them, not wanting to come off as rude. Some of them nodded back while others still watched him carefully.

“Caltrick,” Progthorn said, rushing over to him. “You shouldn’t bother the nice man.”

“But he looked lonely,” he whined, tightening his grip on Keith’s finger.

Keith’s lips parted in shock and he stared down at the child in front of him.

“Caltrick,” he warned. “I’m so sorry,” he apologized, turning towards Keith. “He should know better than to say such rude things to strangers.”

Keith shook his head, hoping he could tell that it wasn’t a problem. Progthorn cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing him.

“Pardon my question, I don’t mean to come off as rude, but…are you unable to talk?” he asked.

Keith opened and closed his mouth and then shrugged apologetically.

“It’s complicated then?” he asked.

Keith nodded.

“I see. Well, if you don’t mind and aren’t occupied with anything else, we could certainly use some help in taking down the barricades on many of the houses or organizing the buildings that were under Galra control. There are many people who’ve been locked away and we haven’t seen for months.”

Keith stilled at the mention of that. He pulled his hand free from Caltrick’s fingers and straightened, squaring his shoulders.

“Would you like to come with us to see them?” he asked, noticing his change in demeanor.

Keith nodded.

“Okay, I can take you to them. Come on, Caltrick.”

He ran forward and his father scooped him up in his arms, balancing him on his hip. Keith fell into step beside him and they turned towards one of the opposite alleyways that branched off from the center of the town.

The groups parted for their exit, suspicious looks still following after Keith even as he walked next to one of their own.

“My name is Progthorn, by the way,” he said. “I realize I didn’t introduce myself earlier when Caltrick,” he said, jostling his son who giggled in his hold, “ran out to you and your friends.”

Keith smiled and nodded. He spied a patch of dirt and motioned for him to stop. He used the edge of his staff and spelled out his name in the dirt.

“Key-eeth?” he asked, brow furrowing as he strove to read. “Keith?” he tried again

Keith nodded.

“Nice to meet you, Keith,” Progthorn said. “Officially that is.”

Keith smiled and they continued on their way.


	18. Chapter 18

“This is the place,” Progthron said, coming to a stop outside of a building. It looked like the others, the windows boarded up tightly with planks of wood. The only difference compared to the houses the citizens had boarded up themselves was that the door wasn’t blocked.

Keith held out a hand, gesturing to the door.

He nodded. “Go on inside.”

Keith stepped forward and wrapped his hand around the knob on the door. He was expecting some resistance, but it turned in his grip and the door creaked as he pushed it open. He blinked against the darkness that met him and swallowed harshly, having to check the memories that threatened to wash over him. The memories of the cold and darkness, and hot, stale breaths that washed over his face as he felt dirtied and disgusting and violated.

“Keith? Are you alright?”

Progthorn’s voice brought him back to where he was. The planet. The Galra. Their rescue. And the building in front of him that possibly held people who lived through a similar fate as he did. He looked over his shoulder and held up his hand so his palm was facing Progthorn. He pointed his index finger at the ground.

“You want me to stay? But…but why?” he asked. “Those people are my community. We should be protecting each other.”

Keith cradled his staff in the crook of his arm and pressed his hands together as though he was in prayer. Progthorn looked at the gesture and pursed his lips.

“Okay,” he sighed. “But please be careful and know that they might get defensive at the sign of a stranger.”

Keith nodded and gripped his staff in his hand. He took a deep breath and turned back to the house, slipping in through the door. Silence met him and his gaze slowly adjusted to the dark around him. A few tables were overturned in the area around him, but any furniture that might have been there was missing.

He moved forward slowly, spying a few clusters of bottles in the corners. He spotted a set of stairs that led to a second floor even as a hallway moved further in with doors that led to additional rooms. Keith moved past the stairwell. The first door he came to was ajar and empty, the chair and table inside overturned.

The second door he came to was closed and Keith wrapped a hand around the knob. He pushed it forward slowly. It gave an inch before sticking. Keith frowned and tried to peer through the crack, but there wasn’t enough space. He leaned back and braced himself against the door. He took a steady breath before he shoved against it.

It gave a little more and he could hear something wooden scrape against the floor. A noise of surprise and panic reached his ears. He moved back again and shoved against the door. The scraping came again and the door opened wide enough for Keith to slip through. The panicked noise sounded again and Keith’s stomach turned. He was pretty sure he’d made that same sound before.

He slipped through the door and raised his hands, trying to seem as nonthreatening as possible. There was someone hunched in the corner. They were shaking, and had their hands over their head, but it didn’t look like they had a weapon.

Keith opened and closed his mouth. “I’m not here to hurt you.” He swallowed, wincing at how shaky his voice sounded. The person in the corner, flinched and looked up, meeting his eyes. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he repeated.

“Who-who are you?” they asked. “Where are-where are the Galra?”

“They’re gone,” Keith said. “I’m here to rescue you. Progthorn brought me here.”

“Progthorn?”

Keith nodded.

They put a hand against their mouth and sagged against the wall. They choked on a sob, tears quickly streaming down their face.

“It’s okay,” Keith said, stepping forward. “It’s going to be okay.” He knelt next to their side and they threw their arms around him, squeezing him tightly as they continued to sob. Keith placed a tentative hand on their back and rubbed it up and down. “You’re going to be okay,” he murmured. “Let’s get you out of here. Are there others?”

They looked up and nodded. “There are many others. Mostly on the second floor.”

“Will you come with me to find them? They’ll trust you more than me.”

They nodded. “What is your name, kind savior?”

“There’s no need to call me a savior. My name is Keith.”

They nodded. “I am Mergala. This way.”

They were surprisingly energetic for someone who’d just been cowering in a corner and locked up for who knew how long. They led the way back into the main hallway. The next couple of doors were ajar, showing similar signs as the first room Keith had passed. The last three doors were shut and rather than try to shove inside as Keith had done with Mergala’s room, they knocked on the door. It was three quick raps and two short ones and Keith wondered how much they’d gone through in order to come up with their own code.

The scraping of wood sounded through the door before it was pulled open slightly. Keith could barely see a small figure around Mergala’s form, but they spoke quickly.

“It is alright, Sarwin. We are free from the Galra. They’ve been defeated. We must get everyone out of here.”

“How?” she asked, voice small. “How have they been defeated?”

Mergala gestured to Keith. “He has come and rescued me.”

Keith nodded when Sarwin’s eyes fell on him. He could see how suspicious she was of him. “Please,” he said, breaking his silence. “We should get everyone out of here quickly. Even if you don’t trust me, Progthorn is waiting for us and I’m sure he’s anxious in my absence.”

Sarwin pursed her lips, reluctantly nodding. She pulled her door the rest of the way open. “You get the other two rooms down here and I will start upstairs. Take the others out to Progthorn.” She darted off before they could respond and Keith watched her go.

“We should continue,” Mergala said, stepping back out into the hallway.

Keith nodded.

Mergala repeated the same knock on the next door. The man inside was more reluctant in Keith’s presence, but he listened to Mergala and at the mention of Sarwin, he pulled himself from his room and into the hallway. Keith kept his distance, not wanting to create anymore unease or discomfort that would naturally arise from their rescue mission.

Mergala repeated the same process on the last room. When the woman inside caught sight of him, she rushed at him and Keith darted out of the door to her room, dodging the blows she aimed at his head. Her eyes were wide and desperate, and she wouldn’t listen to Mergala’s desperate calls to get her to stop. As she swung again, Keith caught her fist in his hand.

“Please,” he said, speaking for the first time to her. “I’m not here to hurt you. There is no reason to attack me.”

“Why should I trust you?” she panted. “How do I know that you haven’t tricked these other two and are going to have your way as soon as our guards are down?”

Keith flinched, wincing as he was reminded of his own mindset and views he’d had when he was first freed. “Please,” he repeated. “I was once locked in a house similar to this one. I know what you’ve been through and I’m not here to harm you. I want you to be returned to your families. You deserve to live your lives freely now.”

“What do you mean you were locked in a house like this one?” she asked. “You know nothing about what we’ve been through!”

Keith dropped his gaze. He took a deep breath and released her hand. He straightened, his hands hanging limply at his sides. The woman rushed at him again and he closed his eyes. The blow was sharp across his cheek and he winced, but didn’t put his hands up to defend himself.

Mergala cried out at the sight. Keith expected another blow, but when it didn’t come he opened his eyes. The woman was standing in front of him, eyes wide as her fist hung in the air next to her.

“Keith, are you alright?!” Mergala asked.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Is that all you needed to do?” he asked, turning back towards the woman.

“You let me punch you. Why did you let me punch you?” she asked, hand dropping to the side.

“You’re scared. You don’t know what to do or how much you can do now that you’re seeing freedom again after so long. You don’t know what to expect from anyone and are ready for confrontation at every turn. But that doesn’t have to last and letting some of that energy go, even when it means letting myself be punched, is something that needs to happen. I think it’s a better alternative to the anxiety that made me physically ill when I was first rescued.”

Mergala and her stared at him for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s okay,” he said with a nod. “Can we get you out of here now? Back to your family and friends? You don’t have to suffer anymore. You’re going to be safe and cared for.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded.

“Follow me,” Keith said, turning his back on them. Any other person might have insisted they walk in front, but he wasn’t going to do that. He would show them his back. He’d leave himself unguarded and show he wasn’t a threat to them. And if that wasn’t enough, he would let them do what they needed to do so they could get to a better place and start their journey forward as he’d done.

He picked his way back to the front of the building, catching the faint sound of feet pounding over the floor upstairs. A few people thumped down the stairs and darted past Keith, ignoring him in their haste to get to the doorway and the slivers of light that were cast through the opening.

Keith walked calmly, letting them go ahead of him. He stepped through the opening when he reached the door. He found Progthorn staring wide-eyed at the people around him as they swarmed him. Caltrick was grinning and waving his hands at all the newcomers.

“Keith!” Progthorn started when he finally caught sight of him. “Is that everyone?”

Keith shook his head.

“Oh. How many are left?”

Keith raised a hand and titled it back and forth.

Mergala stepped up next to him, cutting a glance at him out of the corner of their eye. “There are a few more upstairs who Sarwin is bringing down. They should all be down shortly,” they said, answering for Keith.

Progthorn nodded. “Once everyone is out we can head back to the town center. Many people are gathered there and are taking down the boards that are covering windows and doors. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to get a medical center up and running to look over anyone who needs it and offer food if you haven’t eaten recently.”

“Thank you,” Mergala said. “I think we’ll all appreciate that greatly. Can you tell us what happened and why we’re being freed?”

Progthorn nodded and grinned. “The Paladins of Voltron are here and have rescued us!”

The rest of the group stilled.

“But I thought it was nothing more than a myth?” someone asked.

“It’s not. And Keith here has been traveling with the Paladins and helped them to defeat the Galra on this planet.”

Keith ducked his head and stared down at the ground, feeling his cheeks heat at the attention, and making his cheek throb where he’d been punched. He shrugged at the people watching him.

“Hey,” Mergala said, catching his attention. Keith looked up and as they opened their mouth to continue, Sarwin pushed through the open door with another crowd of people.

“That’s the last of them,” she said. “All of the rooms have been emptied, but the place should be cleaned out before anyone comes back here.”

Progthorn nodded. “I’m sure there will be a great deal of work to do on all of the residences and businesses. For now, let’s get back to the town center.”

Progthorn took the lead in front of the group as they walked back down the street they’d walked down. Most of the people crowded around him, but Keith hung towards the back, keeping an eye on the surrounding buildings, not that he thought there was going to be another threat.

“Hey.”

He looked up and found that Mergala had fallen behind the group to walk with him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Earlier,” they started, “when we came outside and Progthorn was asking about the people inside, you…didn’t talk to him like you talked to us. Is that…why is that?”

Keith shrugged, feeling his face heat up.

“It’s not because he’s a man is it?” they asked.

Keith shook his head. He opened his mouth and glanced towards the people in front of them, making sure they were far enough out of earshot that they wouldn’t hear what he said.

“I’m not…comfortable speaking in front of everyone,” he admitted.

“But…why were you so willing to talk with us?” they asked.

“Because…” he sighed. “Because I know what it’s like to be trapped at the mercy of the Galra. I can understand what you’ve gone through and if I can help…then I’m willing to do it.”

“Oh,” Mergala said, voice coming out smaller than he’d heard it before.

Keith flinched when arms wrapped around him. He belatedly realized that Mergala had pulled him into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” they murmured. “I’m so sorry that you had to live like that.”

Keith awkwardly wrapped one arm around them to return the hug. “I think I should be the one saying that to you,” he said softly.

They shook their head. “Just because you’ve been free longer than I have, that doesn’t mean that you’re not still carrying scars and reminders around with you.”

Keith blinked and bit his lip. They pulled back and he stared at them with wide eyes. They smiled and placed a gentle hand against his cheek.

“We’ll both be okay. Somehow, someday, we’ll make it there.”

He couldn’t do anything but nod at her words.

“Keith?”

He glanced to the side and found Progthorn had stopped ahead of them.

“We don’t want you getting lost on us,” he said, smiling gently. “We’ve only got a bit longer before we reach the square and then we can regroup. Ms. Allura might have finished speaking with the chancellor by now.”

Keith nodded. Mergala patted his cheek and turned towards the group. Keith walked next to them. He heard the sounds of movement and shouts of instructions as they approached the center.

A cry rose up as their group stepped into the town center and several people dropped what they were doing to come greet people they’d brought back.

Keith smiled as many of them were embraced by what was probably friends and family. He turned to face Mergala whose eyes widened in shock. They reached out for him and he frowned, turning to see what they were looking at.

“Keith, there you are!”

He grinned when strong arms wrapped around him and he sank into the hug against Shiro. He smiled up at Shiro when he pulled back.

“We were wondering where you got off to,” he continued.

“I helped Progthorn free some people who’d been locked up,” he explained.

Shiro nodded, before his eyes zeroed in on Keith’s cheek. He frowned and cradled Keith’s head in his hands. “What happened to your cheek?” he asked. “You didn’t run into any more Galra did you?”

Keith shook his head. “I’m fine, Shiro. Someone just got a little defensive and I wasn’t careful. They were scared and I don’t blame them. It’s not a big deal.”

Shiro nodded. “We should probably get it looked at though…”

Keith chuckled. “I’ll be fine, Shiro.” He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to find Mergala watching them, their lips parted in shock at their proximity.

“Mergala,” he said, “this is Shiro.”

“Nice to meet you,” Shiro said with a nod, finally dropping his hands from Keith’s face.

They nodded back before their gaze went back to Keith. Their shock softened into a smile. “I’m glad you’ve come so far, Keith. You’ve healed so much, haven’t you?”

Keith stiffened, staring at them and unused to someone seeing so deeply into his core.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, placing a gentle hand on his back.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “I hope you’re able to heal just as much.”

Mergala nodded before they turned and walked off into the crowd to find any family or friends they may have been separated from.

“Keith, is everything okay?” Shiro asked again.

Keith turned to look at him and he smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “Everything’s great.”

Shiro smiled and Keith cradled his face between his hands, guiding his head down so he could bring their lips together.

“What was that for?” Shiro asked when they parted, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he grinned.

Keith shook his head. “Nothing, really. I’m just really glad I met you. I’m really glad I’m with you.”

“I’m really glad I met you, too. Now, come on,” he said, taking hold of Keith’s hand and linking their fingers together. “We have a lot of stuff to talk to the other Paladins about. The chancellor is inclined to join the Alliance and there’s a lot to discuss.”

Keith nodded. “Okay.”

Shiro pulled him off across the square towards the main building. Keith chanced one last glance over his shoulder and saw many pairs of eyes watching. He smiled at the people he’d helped free and they smiled back, offering waves as he was taken away for the moment.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So, as of right now, we are nearing the end of this fic. I'm thinking there's probably only going to be one or two more chapters depending on what goes down, but that could easily change if my brain is stupid and decides to throw in something unexpected lmao. But just so you know, we're getting close to the end of this fic. 
> 
> It's been a great ride so far and I hope y'all have enjoyed it! ^.^
> 
> <3 MOLIM

The rest of the Paladins were surrounding Allura and the chancellor in the main building. They nodded at Keith as Shiro pulled him into the room. The chancellor nodded at Keith and looked over the people surrounding her.

“I’m glad that all of you managed to come to this planet and offer your assistance in defeating the Galra. We will be in your debt for many years.”

“That’s really not necessary,” Allura started.

“But it is,” she continued. “You have given us our freedom back and with that, we are able to move forward as a culture and as a people. From what you’ve told me about your Alliance, it appears to be a strong one and to repay our debt and help others like us, we would like to take part in it.”

Allura and Shiro smiled.

“We have a small group of armed forces that can go to battle if need be and once we get our farms up and running to our standards again, we could offer supplies and provisions to any planets and people who need it. I can also designate a rest area for any travelers or other members of the Alliance who may need a place to stay during their travels. Is this suitable enough?”

Allura nodded. “That is more than enough and will be appreciated more than you know. We would also need a representative from your planet to be on call for Alliance meetings and conversations. Because of the distance between your planet and where the Alliance is housed, the person nominated will need to relocate for ease of access and to perform their duties.”

The chancellor nodded. “I can understand that. I think I have an idea of who may be an excellent fit for the position, but I would like to consult with my people on who they think would be the best representative.”

“I can send a message to the Alliance and they can send a representative with the necessary documents that you’ll need to sign in order to begin the initiation process,” Allura explained.

The chancellor nodded. “If you will do that, I will go and consult my people. You’re welcome to stay here or wander where you like, but please be respectful of our planet and the people here.”

“Of course,” Allura said before she walked away. Allura pressed the comm link on the wrist of her suit. “Coran?” she asked.

“Yes, Princess?” he replied, voice sounding robotic and staticky from the connection.

“Will you send a message to the Alliance that we require a representative with membership and treaty documents to come to the planet we’re on?”

“Of course, right away,” he said.

They were met with silence for a few moments before Coran’s voice came through again.

“A representative will be here as soon as they can. They only need to prepare the correct documents. They’ll transport into the Castle and then I’ll send them down in a pod.”

“Thank you, Coran,” Allura said. “Please inform us when they arrive aboard the Castle and we can go to meet their pod where we set our Lions down and bring them into the town to meet the Chancellor.”

“Of course, Princess.”

Allura closed the comm. She turned to the rest of the Paladins. “Pidge, Matt, have you two finished going through the data from the computer?”

They both nodded. “We have it ready to upload to the main database when we get back to the Castle,” Pidge explained.

“Excellent,” she said. “For now, we should offer our assistance any way we can to the people of this planet.”

She started back towards the double doors and they walked back into the bright light from their local star. The square was bustling with people. Keith heard tools rapping as houses were freed from their boarded-up confines and cleaned. Someone in the distance was shouting things about food and water.

He spotted Caltrick running through people’s legs, a grin on his face. Progthorn chased after him, arms outstretched as Caltrick dodged his father’s grasp. Other people watched them, obviously amused by their antics.

The chancellor was talking to a woman amidst all the chaos. Both looked serious and the woman was nodding along with what she was saying. The woman put both her hands together in front of her and bowed to the chancellor who smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder.

The chancellor walked to the center of the square where a low circular platform was placed. She climbed on top of it as the woman stood on the ground next to her. She raised her staff before slamming the end down on the platform three times, catching the attention of everyone in the square.

“Attention citizens,” she called, raising her free hand to wave at all of them, “I have some important news regarding our planet. I have agreed to join the Galactic Alliance which is advocated for by the Paladins of Voltron who freed us from the control of the Galra.”

Applause rose up from the people in the square and the chancellor nodded.

“As such, we are going to offer resources to members of the Alliance if they ever seek it and offer our army to fight. We will also send a representative from our planet to work with the Alliance on decisions regarding the safety of the rest of the universe. I have chosen, with your permission and approval, Alcalia, partner of Progthorn and mother to Caltrick to serve this noble and great cause.”

Alcalia raised her hand to the people around the square.

At the sound of his name, Caltrick froze in his tracks, giving his father a chance to catch him in his arms and balance him on his hip. Progthorn looked at Alcalia and smiled before he started to clap. The others around him quickly took up the applause. Cheers and whistles sounded from some of the people hanging out of the windows.

The chancellor smiled and pulled Alcalia up on the platform with her. She took Alcalia’s hand in hers and raised them above their heads as the cheers continued.

Allura’s communicator beeped and she stepped back from the group, talking in a hushed voice to avoid distracting from the celebration.

“Thank you everyone,” Alcalia said.

“I’m glad to have all of your support in this decision,” the chancellor added. “This will be a great beginning for our people.”

“Keith, Shiro,” Allura said, catching their attention.

They turned and looked at her.

“Coran has informed me the representative from the Alliance made it aboard the Castle and will be descending in a pod shortly. Will the two of you go to where the Lions were left to retrieve them?”

“Of course, Princess,” Shiro said and Keith nodded.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I would go to meet them myself, but I fear it would look bad for me to be absent during this.”

“We understand,” Shiro said. He skirted to the edge of the square, Keith following. Most of the people in the square ignored their presence, others only gave them enough attention to move out of their way as they walked towards the street that would take them back to where they’d left their Lions.

The cheers dimmed as they walked from the square. They didn’t see many others, a few people only rushed past to see what the cheering was for. Keith was sure there would be a large celebration coming for their new freedom and the connection with the Alliance.

Shiro caught his hand as they walked, and Keith gave him a smile, linking their fingers together. He stepped closer, brushing their shoulders together. Shiro ducked his head and pressed a kiss to Keith’s temple and he smiled, biting his lip.

They glanced up and saw one of the pods break through the atmosphere, its descent rapidly slowing as it approached the planet’s surface. Shiro and Keith reached the edge of the clearing where the Lions had been left as it touched down amidst a cloud of dust.

The door slid open and a figure dressed in green robes stepped out, clutching a tablet against their chest.

“Black Paladin!” They called, hurrying over to where they were waiting, catching themself as they stumbled over a rock.

Shiro smiled and held out a hand they accepted with a shake. “Thank you so much for coming,” he said.

They nodded. “Of course! It was wonderful news to hear of a new planet joining the Alliance, and one which had just been rescued no less!”

“If you’d like to follow us, we can take you to the chancellor of this people.”

“That would be greatly appreciated,” they said. “I’ve got all the necessary paperwork on the tablet here,” they said, patting the device in the crook of their arm.

“Princess Allura is excited to see you as well,” Shiro continued as they walked back towards the square. “She was unable to leave the festivities to come welcome you, but she will greet you once we reach the square.”

“Of course,” they said. “I’m sure she’s very busy and working hard for the betterment of the Alliance,” they said, a light blush dusting their cheeks.

Keith raised an eyebrow and shared a look with Shiro who grinned.

“Are there festivities in progress?” they asked, oblivious to the look Shiro and Keith had shared. “It sounds quite loud.”

“The people are excited for their newfound freedom and the chancellor has announced who will be representing this planet on the Alliance’s council.”

They nodded. “I can understand. Such things are very exciting for new planets. Especially, if their representative is someone experienced and well-liked among the people.”

They reached the edge of the square and found groups of people huddled around the chancellor, Alcalia, Princess Allura, and the rest of the Paladins. Their trio wove their way through the crowds, Shiro leading the representative while Keith followed behind them both.

Keith caught sight of a few of the people he’d rescued, and they gave him a nod and smile as he passed. He smiled back and continued forward.

Shiro approached Princess Allura first. She grinned when she caught sight of them over the heads of the people around them.

“Excuse me for a minute,” she said, to the woman talking to her. “I have pressing business to take care of, but I would love to speak with your further once it’s completed.”

“Oh, well…” the woman said, looking far too pleased as she waved off Allura.

Watching Allura charm her way into the hearts of the people of this planet was a different sight to behold. Keith was so used to watching her fight and stand firm with the Galra and the legal matters of the council that he hadn’t considered how strong of a diplomat she was.

Allura hurried over to them, extending her hand to the representative. “Gorla, it’s so nice to see you again,” she said with a wide smile.

“W-well of course, Princess,” they said, chuckling as the pink on their cheeks deepened. They bit their lip when their hand was released, but Allura placed a hand on their shoulder.

Keith bit his lip to try and stop from grinning. He was a little worried Gorla was going to spontaneously combust.

“Come with me and I can introduce you to the chancellor. She’s very excited about joining the Alliance.”

“R-right,” Gorla said, following her.

Keith looked up at Shiro and he snickered.

“Gorla never does change,” Shiro said.

They watched as the chancellor was pulled away from her conversations and introduced to Gorla. Keith reached for Shiro’s hand and tangled their fingers together again.

Despite all the excitement and chatter that surrounded them, the planet was peaceful and happy.

“Is your planet like this?” Keith asked softly.

“It can be,” Shiro admitted. “I haven’t been back in a while, but whenever there are festivals or parties or holidays, people come out in the masses. It’s almost like everyone’s friends and for a short while you can forget about all of the bad things in the world and the rest of the universe.”

“I’d like to see it someday,” he murmured.

Shiro tightened his grip on Keith’s hand. “I’d like that, too.”

Keith smiled and rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder as they watched the others talk. Many of the villagers finished up their conversations after speaking with the chancellor and the other Paladins and got back to work with fixing their town and bringing it back to life.

The smell of something frying filled the air and drifted on over the breeze. Off to the side a drum started. The beat was steady, a stringed instrument joining in. A guitar joined in as well as they took up a cheery tune.

Many people who were working on repairs started cheering and hollering because of the music, the mood rising. Planks of wood and tools were abandoned as many of the people flooded the square, grabbing partners and taking up a high-tempo dance.

Keith grinned as he watched. The crowd grew larger and more excited. He saw the chancellor watching with a smile as she continued to speak with Gorla and Alcalia joined their conversation.

Progthorn and Caltrick joined in, Progthorn swinging Caltrick around by the grip under his arms as Caltrick grinned and laughed, voice high and bright amidst the revelry.

Pidge, Hunk, and Lance were pulled into the fray as the circle of dancers expanded in their direction. Keith chuckled as they struggled to take up the steps and it looked more like they were hopping up and down than dancing.

Keith felt a little wistful at the revelry around him. It was different from anything he’d ever experienced or could have imagined. It was a moment of such overwhelming and pure joy. He wanted to remember it forever.

“Do you want to dance?”

Keith blinked and looked up at Shiro who was watching him, gaze shining. “What?” he asked.

Shiro grinned and turned to face him. He stepped back and bowed slightly, holding out his hand. “May I have this dance, Keith?”

“What do you mean? They’re already dancing?” Keith asked, brow furrowing.

Shiro chuckled. “No, it means…I’m asking if you’ll dance with me.”

“Oh,” Keith said, feeling his face heat up. “Yes,” he said, placing his hand in Shiro’s.

Shiro grabbed both of his hands and moved backwards, pulling him into the fray of dancers. Neither of them knew the steps to the dance, instead jumping around with the others as they moved in a circle. Keith laughed as Shiro spun them both in a circle.

The line paused before they started back in the opposite direction. Shiro let go of one of his hands and twirled him as they moved, laughing as Keith stumbled with the unfamiliar movement.

Shiro pulled him back out of the line of dancers even as they continued their quick movements.

“Shiro?” Keith asked, eyes still shining with mirth.

Shiro smiled and wrapped Keith’s arms around his neck, putting his hands on Keith’s hips. They swayed gently, in large contrast to the fast-paced music around them. Shiro pressed his forehead to Keith’s, gazing into his eyes. Keith smiled up at him, feeling happy and content.

Shiro sighed as they continued to move. “I love you, Keith,” he murmured.

Keith froze, wondering if he’d imagined it over the din around them, but it had come through, bright as day as Shiro’s voice cut through the music. He swallowed, trying to find the words or something to say.

“Keith?” Shiro asked as he took a step back, breaking the circle of Shiro’s arms.

Love had always been an abstract concept for Keith. He was sure he’d felt love for his mother when she was still alive. He did many things out of love for her, so they could survive in the home. Romantic love…that was something he didn’t even think existed at times even if he knew the courting rules and rituals of the Galra from stories. He couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to want to spend every moment and give everything to another person. It was unthinkable.

“I…” Keith started.

Shiro winced. “I guess that was too soon.”

“I…” Keith repeated.

He stepped forward and framed Shiro’s face in his hands, staring into his eyes.

“Thank you,” he breathed, closing the distance between them. He pressed a kiss to Shiro’s lips. “I…thank you.”

Shiro nodded.

“Shiro! Keith!”

They looked up and found Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and Matt, standing together surrounded by people. They were waving to them over their heads. Allura was standing further back with a smile on her face. The chancellor and Alcalia were on either side of her.

“Come on!” Lance called.

Shiro linked their fingers together and gave Keith one last smile before they moved to meet their friends.

“Sorry to cut your enjoyment short,” Allura said, once they were all together again. “But it’s time for us to move. Coran said that he’s received a message from Earth.” Allura looked at Matt and Pidge. “It seems Commander Holt has received some news that requires our assistance.”

Matt and Pidge shared a look.

“Do you know their status?” Pidge asked, stepping forward.

“It’s a potential threat, but we don’t have much more than that. He’s planning on briefing it as soon as we return, but we must be on our way.”

“Of course,” Shiro said. “Chancellor. Alcalia,” he said with a nod to them. “Sorry for our sudden departure.”

The chancellor shook her head with a smile. “The universe needs you. Do what you need to do and help others. We will be here to provide aid should you ever need it.”

“Thank you,” Allura said. “Gorla,” she said, turning to the council worker.

They perked up.

“I’m sorry that we must leave so soon when your work is not yet completed.”

Gorla smiled. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll contact the council and they will send a ship to retrieve me and Alcalia and her family. I have a bit more paperwork to get in order here first.”

Allura nodded. “I hope we’ll see each other soon.”

“Well-that’s-I-okay,” Gorla stammered.

“Paladins,” Allura said, turning to the rest of them. “It’s time to go back to Earth.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how I said there was one or two more chapters after the last chapter? Well, it's probably more like one or two more chapters after this one. Such is the problem with development. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Most of the Paladins chatted excitedly as they flew back to the Castle and got everything situated for their return journey. Keith didn’t really know how to feel. He was visiting a new planet, one he didn’t have any sort of tie to, unless he counted Shiro, but also one that everyone else seemed to have high expectations for.

Keith hung back on the main deck. Allura was standing on the podium and the Paladins were seated in their seats around her. Normally, he would’ve stood by Shiro, but he wasn’t sure where to place himself in this situation.

“This is Pidge Gunderson reporting form the Castle of Lions to the Galaxy Garrison of Earth. I am responding to Sam Holt’s request for Voltron. We are preparing the Castle of Lions for transport and should be returning to Earth soon. We will jump within several hundred miles of Earth before moving in for orbit. End transmission,” Pidge said, working with the communication channels.

They waited for several moments before static sounded over the line.

“Galaxy Garrison reporting back. Sam Holt here returning your message. We’ll be looking forward to your return. Orbit is cleared for your landing point when ready.”

“Message confirmed,” Pidge replied. “We’ll be seeing you soon, Dad.”

Keith frowned, forehead wrinkling.

“You got it, kid. Wormhole safe now, you hear?”

Pidge laughed. “You got it.” She turned in her seat. “Whenever you’re ready, Princess.”

“Thank you, Pidge. Coran fire up the engines please and move us out of orbit of this planet.”

“Yes, Princess.”

The ship turned, the windows turning towards the rest of space instead of the planet in front of them. The ship shuddered for a moment, moving slowly as the engines warmed and they pulled out of orbit and moved into the open space between planets.

“We are now out of orbit of the planet and it is safe to jump,” Coran said, pressing several commands on the console in front of him.

“Excellent,” Allura said. She placed her hands over the orbs next to her, the air and light around her taking on a blue glow.

Keith watched as the familiar swirling wormhole appeared in front of the Castle as they approached. Keith pressed back against the wall to steady himself as they approached, the front of the ship breaching the opening.

Keith stumbled as the ship rumbled and shook around him. He fought to steady himself and managed to stay on his feet as they passed through the tunnel. He let out a breath when they reached the other end, passing through the opposite opening and into space in the Earth’s solar system.

“We’ve passed into the solar system,” Pidge said, opening another channel. “We are maneuvering into orbiting distance now. We’ll descend to Earth’s surface in several minutes and bring the Lions with us.”

“Roger that, Castle of Lions,” Sam answered. “We’ll have the supplement hangers open for you to land in and store your Lions. I’ll be awaiting your arrival and will escort you to the meeting room.”

“Copy that,” Pidge answered. “See you soon.”

Keith watched as they drifted closer, nestling their ship outside of a ring of satellites.

“Coran,” Allura said, “you and I can take a pod down to Earth while the rest of the Paladins take the Lions.”

“Of course, Princess,” he said.

The Paladins climbed out of their chairs and started for the hallway. Keith watched them go from his spot against the wall. Shiro smiled at him and held out a hand for him. He smiled back and hurried to his side, linking their fingers together.

They passed through the different halls until they reached the hangers. Shiro pulled Keith into the Black Lion with him and he rested a hand on the back of Shiro’s chair as the Lion’s systems came to life. The Lion stood and turned towards the hanger door as it slowly opened, revealing the expanse of space and the stars that littered the galaxy.

Shiro touched the controls and their Lion bounded forward, launching from the Castle before it swung around to face Earth. Keith’s eyes roved over the planes of Earth as they approached. The other Lions fell in beside Shiro’s and they broke through the atmosphere, zeroing in on a location that held no meaning for Keith.

The flat expanses of land changed and shifted as they approached. Large buildings and cities came into view, but they piloted away form those, aiming for a large expanse of buildings in the middle of dusty, desert land.

The roof of a longer building was open and Shiro aimed for the opening, slowing their descent as they approached. He pulled up on the controls, tilting the Lion back and moving through the roof until they touched down on the floor of the building.

Shiro shut off his controls and powered down the Lion before he looked over his shoulder and flashed a smile at Keith. “Welcome to Earth.”

“Care to show me around?”

He jumped out of his chair and grabbed Keith’s hand, pulling him towards the ramp.

A man in glasses with gray hair and a beard approached them as they climbed down the steps.

“Dad!”

He turned, face breaking into a wide grin as he threw out his arms. “Katie!”

Pidge launched herself into his arms and he spun her around, hugging her tightly.

“I’m so glad to see you again.”

Pidge chuckled and pulled back. “It hasn’t been that long since we were last here.”

“I know, I know. I just wish this was under better circumstances.”

Pidge shrugged. “Maybe we can stick around for a couple more days after whatever this is clears up.”

“I hope so, too,” he said, letting his arms fall from Pidge. He turned to face Shiro. “Nice to see you again, Shiro. Who’s this?” he asked, looking at Keith.

Shiro grinned and squeezed Keith’s hand. “This is Keith. He’s ummm, he’s my boyfriend. Keith, this is Samuel Holt.”

“Boyfriend you say?” Sam asked, smirking and stroking his beard.

Shiro chuckled and flushed and Keith nodded.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you,” he said, extending a hand. 

Keith glanced at Shiro before he took Sam’s hand and shook it. After their hands fell away Sam looked around at their group and the other Paladins who’d joined them.

“Let’s head up to the briefing room. Admiral Iverson and the crew of the MFEs are waiting for us,” he said, turning towards the elevator set in the wall.

Keith frowned as he followed. He was certain there wasn’t a second floor to the building and had no idea why an elevator was needed. He stuck close to Shiro’s side as they crowded inside the too-small elevator for their group.

Sam placed his hand on a scanner before punching in a keycode. He selected one of several buttons that Keith could now see, and the doors slid shut. The elevator shifted, and Keith felt himself moving down rather than up.

He gave Shiro a questioning look and he smiled. He ducked his head, lips close to Keith’s ear.

“The Garrison built a huge underground base after the Galra’s occupation and attacks on Earth. We thought it was safer and would keep some of the most vital workers and equipment underground and away from direct attack in case the shields ever failed, or we faced a fleet of soldiers who decided to storm the base. Because of the high security measures, it would take them a while to break into the underground access elevators and stairwells. It’s not impossible, but it’s designed to give an extra window of time in the event of an emergency to plan a counterattack or evacuate through the underground tunnels.”

Keith nodded, wondering what they must’ve already gone through to have put such measures in place.

The elevator slowed before coming to a stop. The doors slid open to reveal a large conference room. A screen on the back wall showed footage of a fleet of Galra ships. The long table in the room was occupied by a group of four pilots. A tall, broad-shouldered man was standing next to the chair at the head of the table, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at the new arrivals.

“Welcome back, Paladins,” he greeted.

“Nice to see you again, Admiral Iverson,” Allura said, walking forward. She held out a hand which he shook and offered her a small smile that didn’t seem so out of place on his war-hardened features.

His eyes passed over Allura to the rest of the Paladins and Keith fought not to shrink back when his gaze landed on him.

“You have a new member among your ranks,” he said, voice terse.

“This is Keith,” Shiro said, pulling him forward by the grip on his hand. Keith nodded at Iverson. “He’s a skilled fighter and has been with our group for a while now.”

“Hmph,” Iverson said, peering down at him. “He’s a bit of a shrimp.”

Keith’s shoulders hunched, and his gaze dropped to the floor.

“Don’t let his size deter you,” Shiro continued, a wry smile pulling at his lips. “He took out a group of Galra fighters with only a staff.”

“We’ll have to get him to the training room and see how he holds up with some of the other fighters since you seem to have so much stock in him. But we’ll have time for that and other pleasantries later. We should get to the briefing. Please take a seat, everyone.”

Shiro pulled Keith to the chairs opposite the pilots and sat down, tucking Keith into the chair next to him. He tried not to shift under the weight of the gazes across from him and knew they were probably as curious about his presence as everyone else.

“Sam, if you will,” Iverson said, taking the seat at the head of the table.

“Right.” He moved towards the front of the table, typing out several things on his tablet as the computer screen behind him morphed and shifted to show a video feed of the ships as they entered Earth’s solar system. “Recently, a small fleet of ships breached the edges of our solar system. They haven’t moved in closely yet, but they have gotten closer over the past several hours. We believe they’re a small resistance force who is still loyal to the fallen Empire as they have ignored all our communications asking them if they’re part of the Alliance.

“Our knowledge of the ships at this point shows that they don’t have much fire power and probably don’t have any backup waiting outside the Milky Way. By our estimates, our ships can handle the threat with ease and we won’t have to worry about a threat on land. But as always with the Galra, there is a chance that they could have something hidden up their sleeve.”

“Which was why you requested our presence,” Shiro said.

He nodded. “We’re going to send out another communication informing them that if they don’t make their intentions clear, we’ll be forced to engage. Normally we don’t like making the offensive strike, but considering our history with the Galra, we aren’t willing to take the chance. Especially when they have very evident battle cruisers in their fleet. Our fighters will engage first and we’ll have Voltron on standby in its hanger.”

“Coran can be at the ready in the Castle to offer additional assistance as well,” Allura spoke up. “It can be another level of defense without letting their forces reach Earth’s surface.”

Keith tightened grip on Shiro’s hand, drawing his eyes to him. Keith glanced and the screen and placed a finger against his own chest.

Shiro blinked at him. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Keith raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Okay,” he said with a light chuckle. He turned back to Sam who was watching him expectantly. “Is there anywhere Keith could fit in if we need additional backup?”

Sam blinked. “What are…his strengths?”

“He’s a good fighter. We haven’t had a chance to test his flying skills or anything else.”

“Keith could be stationed on the Castle with Coran and I,” Allura broke in. “If we need to send fighters onto the ship the two of us could take a pod.”

Keith looked over at her and nodded.

“That sounds reasonable,” Sam said. “It would add to Earth’s defense off-land. Are there any other questions or concerns with regards to the plan?” he asked, looking around the table.

Everyone stayed quiet, their gazes locked on Sam.

“Nothing? Okay. Let’s get our ships fueled and make sure all technical aspects are secure. Paladins, since you’ve just arrived, you can get cleaned up if you need it or go the cafeteria for some food. Is it reasonable to have everything prepared in three hours?”

“The MFE’s simply need to have their fuel checked and any last tests on security systems which can easily be done within the hour,” one of the pilots spoke up across the table.

“Excellent,” Sam said. “Everyone is dismissed for the moment and we will reconvene at our required locations at the allotted time.”

The chair legs scraped along the floor as everyone stood.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going to hit the mess hall for some grub before we have to ship out,” Hunk said, rubbing his stomach.

“Sounds good to me,” Lance added, throwing an arm around Hunk’s shoulders.

“Don’t eat too much. We don’t need you throwing up if you get into a tight spot while flying,” Shiro said as they headed off.

“Don’t worry,” Hunk said with a grin. “I know how to handle battle, the experienced Paladin that I am.”

“I’m gonna head down to the tech department and see what the researchers have been working on,” Pidge said. “You coming Matt?”

Matt grinned. “Where else would I be?”

Shiro chuckled. “You hungry?” he asked, turning to Keith who was standing next to him, gaze flitting around the room.

Keith shook his head.

“Want to see more of the base?”

Keith shrugged and nodded.

“Come on,” Shiro said, pulling him from the room.

Keith huffed a laugh, hurrying after Shiro into the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder as they left the briefing room behind, feeling several sets of eyes on him.

“I’d like to take you around the actual Garrison base since that’s where I spent most of my time, but I don’t think we really have time for that and there’s a lot of cooler stuff down here.”

Keith glanced around and found them out of range of anyone else. “Training deck?”

Shiro chuckled and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “I figured you’d go for something like that. We can go look, but no training before battle.”

Keith pouted good-naturedly and let himself be guided along by Shiro.

There wasn’t much to see in the halls. The white and metal was only broken up by doors and occasional windows that peeked into private rooms. The number of twists and turns and the endless levels and floors were dizzying. Keith had no idea how anyone could keep track of it.

“How do you keep track of all of this?” he asked.

Shiro shrugged. “I don’t even know what’s on all of the floors, only the big places I might need for training, rest, food, and important meetings. None of this was around back when I was in the Garrison so I’ve had to learn what I can when I’m back on Earth and roaming the halls.”

Keith nodded as they turned another corner, a pair of double doors facing them at the end of the hall.

“Now this,” Shiro said, hurrying forward and tugging Keith along. “This is what you’re going to like to see.”

Keith chuckled and hurried after him. Shiro placed his hand on the pad next to the door and it slid open without further prompting.

“Woah…” Keith breathed, looking up at the high ceiling and the rows of training equipment. It looked like they’d taken an entire outdoor obstacle course and transplanted it into the building. There were rows of mats for sparring and practice that a large team of people could practice on at once.

“How did you get all of this?”

“We have an extensive list of resources,” a new voice spoke up that had Keith stiffening. He whirled around and found one of the pilots standing behind Shiro in the doorway.

“Griffin,” Shiro said, eyes widening in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have much prep for the MFE’s and our engineer is taking care of all the checks. I’ll look over my ship later before launch, but right now I’m on my own.”

Shiro nodded and turned to look at Keith. “Keith, this is Griffin. I’m sure you remember him from the briefing.”

Keith nodded and wrapped his arms around himself, not quite hunching his shoulders, but feeling defensive around a stranger. Shiro stepped up next to him and placed a hand on his back.

“So where did you come from anyway?” Griffin asked. “I’ve never seen you around the Garrison before.”

“We found Keith in space,” Shiro explained. “He’s not from Earth.”

Griffin’s eyes widened. “Really? He looks human.”

Shiro shrugged and Keith’s arms tightened around himself at the reminder of his lineage.

“Okay…I’ll just continue with my rounds around the base until it’s time for launch. Nice meeting you Keith,” he said, stepping back as the silence stretched on and it was apparent Keith wasn’t going to say anything.

“Yeah, see you later,” Shiro said, watching him go.

When the doors slid shut behind his retreating back, Shiro wrapped an arm more securely around Keith’s waist and pulled him tight against his side.

“Sorry about that,” he murmured pressing his forehead to the top of Keith’s head.

Keith shook his head. “Not your fault. You didn’t know he was following us and…I’m still not totally comfortable around strangers.”

“Still though,” Shiro murmured with a heavy sigh.

Keith pulled back and smiled up at Shiro until the tension and guilt left his gaze. “Show me around the rest of the base?” he asked.

“Of course,” he said, pressing a kiss to Keith’s forehead. “Whatever you want.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


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